The Pyro and The Knight: Glimpses through the Years
by YAXON
Summary: A largely unconnected series of shorts about the Pyro and scarlet Knight of Fairy Tail. There will be a broad range of genres and scenarios. Read edited Author's Note of first chapter for clarification, returning readers.
1. Chapter 1

**Prompt One: After trying and failing to prevent Jellal's arrest, Natsu internally struggles with how he can help Erza. On the surface, he knows there's nothing that he himself can do… But it hurts him to see Erza cry. He has to try to help her feel better.**

 **Characters: Natsu, Erza**

 **Point-in-Time: End of Oracion Seis Arc**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Friendship**

* * *

He had tried. He might not have spoken up first in Jellal's defense, but Natsu had thrown the first punch against a Rune Knight. Natsu got the others all fired up to defend Jellal, but in the end, it wasn't enough. Erza's childhood friend was still taken away despite all their determined efforts.

Understandably, Natsu had calmed down when Erza ordered him to stand down… But that didn't take away his frustrations. It didn't change the fact that the Council took away one of their own and locked up him up. On self-reflection, Natsu had to admit that his attitude about Jellal had changed throughout the duration of this incident. At first, Natsu was dead set on preventing the blue-haired mage from meeting Erza again; and why wouldn't he have been defensive about his friend? Jellal hurt Erza both physically and emotionally.

He made Erza cry. Natsu swore he would never forgive Jellal for that.

Yet despite his initial misgivings, Natsu could not deny it in his heart that something had changed in the final battle to destroy Nirvana. Jellal had given him the power to unlock the Dragon Force, to overcome Zero, and had been the one to save him from falling when Nirvana began collapsing. This in no way absolved Jellal in Natsu's eyes; even if the man hadn't reclaimed all of his memories yet, Natsu could still remember the pain he caused Erza. And yet… Jellal _had_ offered a helping hand.

Perhaps Erza's childhood friend was still in there somewhere. And for that reason, Natsu fought for Jellal. Regardless of his personal feelings on the matter, Natsu knew the man was special to Erza. Just like she was a dear friend to him. Natsu wasn't afraid of going to prison if it kept Erza from getting hurt. Jellal was in Erza's debt, so the most logical thing to do was take him with them.

Jellal needed to stay by Erza's side. Natsu didn't know how or why that sprung to his mind in that heated moment, but it did, and he voiced that belief. And Jellal was still taken away. It aggravated Natsu to no end. It wasn't right.

 **Border**

That happened about an hour ago. Erza had gone off to be by herself, and the group of the Allied Forces unanimously decided to give her some space. Natsu was unhappy about it, but he ultimately acquiesced and mulled over the events of the previous day on his own. Personally, Natsu wanted nothing more than to stubbornly go to Erza, yell at her a little for being so quick to give up on Jellal, and promptly get his ass kicked for speaking out against Erza's decision. He wasn't a masochist, but if it took her mind off of Jellal, even for just a few seconds…

Natsu couldn't bring himself to do it this time, though. He wasn't a coward. He just wasn't the person Erza needed most right then. That person was on his way to prison, and Natsu couldn't do anything about that. So begrudgingly, Natsu eventually settled for watching Erza from a distance. Once he found out where Erza went off to, he was careful to situate himself behind a crumbled wall and out of Erza's line of sight. Natsu didn't want to be intrusive, but it didn't sit right with him to just leave Erza totally by herself.

If it was any indication, Wendy seemed to be thinking along similar lines, as she hid nearby as well. Natsu focused on Erza, though, as the redhead was hugging her knees to her chest and had her head dipped sorrowfully. As he watched, he caught a glimpse of some tears glistening in the early morning sunlight and dripping to the ground. Instinctually, Natsu clenched his fists in frustration, yet he managed to restrain himself from doing anything else.

Natsu hated to see Erza cry. She should be eating strawberry cake, bashing his and Gray's heads in for fighting, and being her destructive self on missions… Not… crying her heart out…

Somehow, Natsu managed to keep out of sight for the entirety of the time Erza was out there. Or at least, that's what he thought, since Erza didn't call him out. That assumption was shattered when Erza got up to leave and purposefully walked by his location. Natsu waited a few moments before standing back up. Erza's scent was strangely lingering in the air, which could only mean…

Yep. When he turned around to head back to camp, she was standing on his side of the crumbled wall looking straight at him. Naturally Natsu panicked at being discovered.

"I'M SORRY!" Natsu wailed while backing up a few steps to get out of immediate striking distance. This put his back against an adjacent wall, as his misfortune would have it. The pink-haired mage waved his hands in front of himself apologetically as he started rambling profusely. "I just wanted to be close by 'cause I was worried about you! The others wanted to give you space, but that didn't sit right with me, so… so… And it's not like I doubt your emotional strength or anything!"

"Natsu…" Erza's quiet voice and her hand gently resting on his shoulder was enough for Natsu to shut his mouth and look her in the eye. From what he could tell, she wasn't angry or annoyed. She looked… tired. He couldn't look away from her swollen, puffy eyes that had cried far more than they should have, for Natsu's tastes. While he was transfixed on them, Erza went on, "Thank you."

Those two words made Natsu blink owlishly. As far as he knew, he'd done nothing that warranted thanks. If anything, he'd expected punishment for eavesdropping.

"Wh-What for?" Natsu's voice came out shakier than he intended. Despite feeling nervous, Natsu managed to maintain eye contact.

"For… For trying to help earlier. And…being here now…" Erza averted her eyes from Natsu's focused gaze ever so slightly. Her face was adorned with a small smile. "You always charge in without thinking about the consequences, or rather, I should say you don't care about the consequences…"

"Don't act like you weren't gonna punch that bastard in the glasses if I hadn't stepped up." Natsu smirked smugly as Erza's cheeks flushed and she averted her eyes more. He laughed a little before the redhead turned a stern eye on him; then he sighed. "Erza, I didn't even have to look your way to know that you were devastated. I acted 'cause I didn't want you hurting again – those bastards had no right taking away the guy that made you happy. I'd have beaten all of 'em up if it meant Jellal would come with us."

Erza's eyes softened and she locked eyes with Natsu again.

"And what would we have done if you had succeeded? We would have been branded as criminals, Natsu. We would have been lucky if the Council didn't disband our guilds – not just Fairy Tail, but Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter as well. Would you really have been okay with that?" When Natsu's response was only to look down dejectedly, Erza pulled him into a tight hug. Natsu tensed at first, but tentatively returned the embrace when nothing else happened. They stayed like that for several moments, both of their eyes closed and both of them enjoying the early morning breeze. Finally, Erza murmured into his shoulder, "I'll be fine, Natsu. I do miss Jellal. I do. But I won't let Fairy Tail be disbanded because of my selfishness. I said I can't live without Fairy Tail… and I meant it."

They hugged for a few more moments before pulling apart. Natsu rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly.

"I just don't want you to cry, Erza, that's all. You say that Fairy Tail filled the void that Jellal left behind, but I… I just see the way you look at Jellal, and I can't help but feel useless to ya in this situation. I don't wanna be useless, though."

"You're not useless." Erza firmly denied with a shake of the head. She then smiled softly. "Natsu, you go above and beyond what any friend would do. You've helped teach me indispensable life lessons… You're so determined. So headstrong and stubborn. Yet you're also caring and considerate… I wouldn't replace you with Jellal for the world."

Natsu scratched his cheek embarrassingly as a small blush crept up his face. He wasn't sure why, though. Erza really thought that way about him?

"Heh. I think I'm more of a nuisance to you than anything else, but if that's how you feel…" He trailed off, unsure of what else to say. Really, that's what he felt like earlier when she told him to stand down.

Erza smiled and shook her head again before turning and walking away.

"C'mon, we should get back to the others."

Natsu didn't follow right away, as his mind was whirling with thoughts. But when Erza turned around partway, he snapped out of it and jogged to catch up. Erza was one of his best friends – if she said she would be alright, he would trust and support her in any way he could. If nothing else, he felt a surge of relief after their heart-to-heart. He wasn't as useless in this situation as he first thought.

"Thanks, Erza…" Natsu murmured under his breath, offering a grin when the redhead craned her head toward him.

Natsu was already looking forward to his next adventure with her.

* * *

 **Author's Note: A little shippy if you squint. Mostly I tried to keep this first prompt as 'close friends' more than anything else. We'll get to 'proper' Natza later, promise.**

 **Kinda similar to the format I've done for a BB x Raven fanfic, I want this one to be a collection of short pieces across a wide variety of genres. Some will be introspective, while others will be alternative actions taken in key moments. In essence, it's me stepping out of my comfort zone, just trying different stuff. If a scene seems stiff or awkward, that's probably why; I'm just trying to gain experience here.**

 **As a forewarning, I'm kinda new to Fairy Tail. I've stuck to the anime, but have caught wind of upcoming twists in the manga. To keep it simple, I'll stick to the anime – what I know and have seen. Most of these snippets will likely be unconnected, but if there is ever continuations or prequels, I'll make a note of them and what chapter(s) they correspond to. For now I'll just write out what comes to mind and go from there.**

 **Other characters will be involved, I just started off this collection with solely the two of them to wet my feet, so to speak. This is my first Fairy Tail fanfic, so feel free to tear into me if I mucked up too badly. I don't mind giving glimpses of other pairings such as Gray x Juvia and Levy x Gajeel, but the main focus will be on Erza and Natsu moments (friendship, romance, or anywhere in-between) because that's where I'm most comfortable right now. That may change in a few chapters, I can't really say yet.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it a little!**

 **Edit 1/27/2017: Alright, despite wanting to wait until I connected the main AU better, I went and separated all of the non-related chapters from that fic to save me some legwork. From now on, this fic will truly be 'glimpses' - maybe two- or three-parters at absolute most. The other one that I left standing underwent a name change to reflect this separation.**

 **... On a slightly related note, I did not include the Natsu-in-Oracion-Seis AU in this collection. Two reasons - one, that is a bigger project that goes against the 'glimpses' theme; two, that is being revamped with Tempest35 as a co-writer. Planning is coming along swimmingly for that. ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Prompt Two: Fairy Tail has dissolved after the resolution of the war against Tartaros, and everyone has gone their separate ways. Natsu and Happy have left Magnolia to train for a year, but they make a two-day exception to return to their home on the outskirts of town for an annual tradition they haven't celebrated since X783. With everybody else gone, including a certain redhead, Natsu expected it to be a very different Christmas… Oh, how wrong he was.**

 **Characters: Natsu, Happy Erza, Makarov**

 **Point-in-Time: X791, X777 (Christmas)**

 **Genre: Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort**

* * *

Gray clouds blanketed the sky as snow descended on the city of Magnolia and its outskirts. There were already thick layers of white covering buildings, streets, and the forests around. A pink-headed teen was trudging through the snow in the forests surrounding Magnolia with a floating blue cat as a companion. Natsu Dragneel almost decided against coming back, even if it was tradition of all things that compelled him. If it was just him and Happy celebrating the holiday, they could celebrate it anywhere, right? Natsu had heard in passing that Erza had joined Mermaid Heel. There was no reason for her to drop everything and come back for a couple days; it just wasn't time for Fairy Tail to be reunited. Natsu had no doubts they would be, someday, but for now…

Natsu frowned as they came up on their home, which was buried in heaps of snow due to lack of maintenance. His mind wasn't there, but rather in the past…

* * *

 _X777_

If there was one thing Natsu Dragneel hated, it was change. Igneel up and left him without warning earlier that year, so the young pink-haired boy had already been forced to make a number of concessions to that effect. Fairy Tail was growing on him; he could feel the hole in his heart left by Igneel being filled with others, his Guildmates, but he still wasn't completely used to being around so many humans, let alone any at all. Given his upbringing with the Fire Dragon King, Natsu wasn't aware of human holidays, let alone traditions set by Fairy Tail for said holidays.

Hence why he wasn't present at the Guild all day on Christmas Eve. Natsu had his hands full with house repairs, 'cause he hadn't taken into account the stupid snow adding on weight, which in turn damaged the structural integrity of the thing in various places. Just because the cold didn't bother him didn't mean that he liked snow dropping on his head when he tried to sleep. Why did building a house hafta be so hard? He'd never had this problem while living out in a cave with Igneel.

Of course, Natsu's absence was noticed by the Guild; he hadn't bothered to come and tell anyone where he would be. The pink-headed Pyro hadn't once questioned the decorations being put up around the Guild Hall all December long, so many simply assumed he was aware of the concept of Christmas. In actuality, from what little Natsu did notice, he just chalked it up to seasonal decorations… or something. If people wanted to put up parts of pine trees, dangle what looked like salad stuff from the ceiling, and string up lights on a tree they brought in from outside, that was their business, not his.

… Yeah, not exactly the sharpest tack in the box, that Natsu Dragneel. Still, he'd be acquainted with the annual tradition of Christmas by the end of the day – whether he wanted to or not. Courtesy of a knightly disciplinarian who always broke up whatever fights he started in the Guild Hall, among other troublemaking habits of his.

"Master, have you seen Natsu around?" The redhead asked the stylish man who was wearing an elf hat and sitting at the bar counter – his words, not hers. The Guild Hall had been quiet all morning, and while Erza was just fine with a little peace and quiet now and then… it shouldn't come as a result of Natsu not being there. As much of a pain it was to restore order with him around, Erza would be lying if she said she didn't appreciate the liveliness he brought to the Guild.

Hadn't even been there for a year, and he was already starting to grow on the cute redhead.

"Can't say that I have," Makarov said while nursing a mug of eggnog. Seeing Erza's half-hearted attempt at hiding her concern as her mind was clearly occupied by such thoughts, the old man smiled and gave his thoughts on the matter. "I wouldn't worry too much. Snow's piling up out there; he's never seen or experienced it before coming here, so I imagine he's just playing around."

Erza nodded at the Master's input, though a frown still marred her face. Laxus, who was leaning on the counter next to his Gramps, felt obligated to point out another possibility.

"That, or he's having problems with that new house of his." The blond shook his head at Makarov's withering glare. "Hey, it was gonna come out sooner or later. A house's integrity is only as good as the guy who builds it, and Natsu insisted he build it all by himself. You tell me how that would possibly work out."

Makarov sighed and grumbled as he could feel Erza's eyes boring into the back of his head. This whole thing probably made him look like a bad grandfather figure toward the pink-headed boy, but the truth was probably a little different than what Erza was assuming. Makarov knew and respected Natsu's free spirit attitude; it was kinda his job to let his grandkids live out their dreams. Besides, the old Guildmaster wanted this to be a learning experience for the boy. There could be any type of problems as the year progressed, so Makarov had assumed and hoped that Natsu would just come to him for help at any given point. Then, Makarov could give the boy some tips and actually help out with the construction – take care of any other problems Natsu may have overlooked.

Except Natsu never came forward, stubborn kid that he is. He'd once inquired if Natsu was bothered by the cold weather, and the brat taunted him by saying he could adjust his body temperature because of his Dragon Slayer abilities, so temperature did not matter. At all. Oooh, how Makarov envied Natsu for that… The brat was basically a walking space heater, and whoever caught his eye in the future would be very, very lucky because of that fact alone. Wizards could build up a resistance to extreme cold or heat, but that normally took _years_. Natsu had that straight from the outset. How was that fair?!

"I'll take you to him…" Makarov sighed when Erza's glare did not waver. No amount of explaining would completely make his inaction 'okay'. It was probably time for him to approach the pink-headed boy anyway. Natsu wasn't going to come to him on his own volition in this case.

* * *

When the pair got out to where Natsu's house was, it was evident that the Pyro had gone crazy with melting the snow on the roof. The red tiles looked a little singed, and there were frantic hammering noises coming from somewhere toward the back. Erza got a twitchy look in her eye as she took the overall structure in, and frankly, Makarov couldn't really blame her at this point. This simply made him look irresponsible and negligent; it wasn't the worst house he'd seen in his lifetime, but damn if it wasn't a piece of work. Withered trees growing out of the walls, a messy roof, various beams and crates strewn about outside the building, an uneven fence… Why did Laxus have to be right? How could he have let Natsu carry on like this?

Makarov turned to look at Erza, but she had apparently moved while he was stuck internally berating himself and was nowhere to be seen. When the hammering noises subsided, and were replaced by a surprised yelp from the young Dragon Slayer, Makarov elected to get out of there and wait for the two back at the Guild. It was Christmas Eve! Erza wouldn't let Natsu live in a house that was in such a sorry state. He'd probably be putting Natsu back in the guest room in his home by the end of the day. Once Christmas had passed, Makarov would get right on helping Natsu fix everything, and they could forget this whole thing.

Provided Erza didn't hang this over his head. You probably think it's funny, Head of the Guild being wary of a little redheaded girl. You know _nothing_.

Still, circumstances as they are, they would bring the pink-headed Pyro and the redheaded knight closer together. Something that was ironically needed for both of them, considering their respective pasts. Makarov just didn't know that yet.

"What're you angry at me for?" Natsu grumbled as he sat cross-legged on the roof and looked down at Erza, who had her hands on her hips. He'd had his freak-out and had calmed down, but he obviously failed to understand why today seemed different from all the others. There were a couple days when he hadn't gone to the Guild at all, and Erza hadn't made of a fuss of any of them.

"Don't you remember what day it is?" Erza raised an eyebrow at the boy's cluelessness. Even after being forced to live in enslavement for a time, Erza still retained vague memories of the holiday in her old village.

"Uh… Tuesday, I think." Natsu replied, idly raking his fingers through his hair. He kinda had this itch to get back to work patching up the roof before the snow really started to pile up again, but he also didn't want Erza to beat him to a pulp again for a "lack of manners" or whatever.

"It's Thursday." Erza told him flatly without missing a beat. "And no, that isn't what I was getting at. It's Christmas Eve. Didn't Igneel celebrate Christmas with you?"

"What's a Chrismas?" Natsu's brow furrowed. "Igneel didn't really do too much human stuff – y'know, fire-breathing dragon, lived out in a cave away from everybody."

Ah. Well, Erza felt like a heel now. She didn't even think about what kind of childhood Natsu had, living with a dragon. When Erza was enslaved, at least she had an inner circle of friends and Grandpa Rob to support her. But Natsu? Igneel was his entire world. Granted, Natsu had Fairy Tail now, but he was still thrust into a big bizarre world that he didn't know anything about. What was it like to live with a dragon as a child? Erza could never know for sure, but she was now seeing just a hint of the effects of such an upbringing.

"What can I do to help?" Erza decided to switch gears. It was best to get the roof fixed before delving into an explanation, and maybe redecorate his home a bit. Erza Scarlet did not do things by halves, after all. Natsu Dragneel would experience Christmas for the first time in his life and _enjoy_ it.

When she climbed up the ladder to the roof and saw what a sorry state it was in, she realized this would take _a lot_ of work…

* * *

 _X791_

Natsu had long since stopped reminiscing and cleared away the snow that positively buried his and Happy's home. He'd gotten better at it over the years, leaving his house less and less charred each successive year. His next task was to clear space inside for the pine tree he would be dragging down from one of the nearby mountains. Natsu didn't care to buy one of those fake ones from town that supposedly lasted for much longer, and Erza had gone along with it all those years, claiming that a natural pine tree had a certain charm to it.

After claiming a tree, there came the decoration aspect of it. Erza gave him a string of garland years ago, and helped him shop for a few simple ornaments, expanding the collection over the years whenever something caught Erza's eye. That all being said, you might have a picture in your mind that Natsu and Erza were romantically together. That… wasn't the case. Not really. All the Christmas decorating began as a way to give Natsu something to do on that holiday; Erza _would_ have dragged him back to the Guild and celebrate with all the others, but after the first year it just became a sort of private celebration between the two of them. Three when Happy hatched. Essentially, that first year, Erza tried to respect that Natsu was used to isolation. Having gone through a Fairy Tail Christmas Bash the year prior, she knew how overwhelming they could be for the new kids.

Which isn't to say Natsu wouldn't have fit right in. She was just a little overprotective of the new kid. Those parties tried to play the innocent 'we're one big happy family' image, but when you got right down to it, they could get pretty crazy. Kids could get drunk if they didn't watch it – just look at what happened to Cana… - and there was the annoyance of avoiding the mistletoe. Oh Kami, how Erza _loathed_ that tiny plant. She made sure to sock anyone who tried to enforce that tradition on her. So really, celebrating Christmas privately with Natsu served a nice dual purpose of _completely_ avoiding that dastardly plant. That was definitely one of the clinchers when Christmas X778 rolled around; X777 was complete bliss in comparison to X776, so it was really a no-brainer how Erza wanted to celebrate the holiday.

Natsu's distaste for change worked in Erza's favor, too. Of course there were some years he was curious about how the rest of the Guild celebrated, but somehow the redheaded knight kept him from experiencing it. It probably helped that Erza scared him out of ever trying to go to the Guild anytime between Christmas Eve and Christmas day – the threat of possibly having to kiss Gray under the mistletoe was a great deterrent, the redhead was pleased to discover. And really, knowing how those two went at it in the Guild Hall? It was all too likely to happen, so Erza was not bluffing in this case.

So Christmas stayed between Natsu, Erza, and Happy. Two kids that had experienced loss and pain so early in life, and a flying blue cat whose life revolved around Natsu. Erza became a little less scary on this holiday, sometimes instigating snowball fights and being much, much less strict. Still closed-off about her past, mind, but Natsu had a feeling that Erza would be different in that regard, come future celebrations.

"Do ya think we should get a strawberry cake in case?" Natsu questioned his feline pal, preparing a grocery list for dinner and the next day. Happy had naturally checked if fish was on that list. Seven times.

"Couldn't hurt," Happy hummed thoughtfully. "You don't wanna repeat _that_ year, do you?"

Natsu involuntarily shivered at the memory. One year he had been entrusted with getting the food. The list was long enough to fill a whole page, and Natsu thought that was the end of it. He didn't bother to check the back, which had a few more items listed. One of which was Erza's beloved strawberry cheesecake. Despite dragging back a majority of the groceries on a sled, he was summarily bludgeoned and sent back to get the rest. The cheesecake underlined thrice at the top of his list in red marker…

The pink-headed mage never again neglected to get a strawberry cheesecake. Even when Erza was sick and didn't look like she'd be spending Christmas with him and Happy, Natsu **always** had a cheesecake on hand, because she never failed to show. Ever. This year was particularly looking like Erza wouldn't show, but that didn't stop Natsu from putting the item at the top of the list so he wouldn't forget. Who knows? Maybe he could mail it to her or something.

As he finalized the list and dug out the sled, Natsu made his way to the door. When he twisted the handle and opened it, he fell back in surprise at seeing the redheaded knight standing there, armored fist poised to knock.

"E-Erza!" Natsu exclaimed and tried to squash the immediate fear he felt upon seeing her. Really. He put cheesecake on the list, Happy can testify to it!

The redhead smiled at Natsu's frightened voice. If she had to guess, he'd been wondering about whether or not to shop for strawberry cheesecake. Still, he wasn't hurrying to make an addendum to the list he had in hand, so he must have it on there. That, or her arrival was _that_ shocking. Frankly, it kind of was. Erza had a helluva time convincing Kagura, Milliana, and the other girls at Mermaid Heel that she needed to take an S-Rank mission so close to Christmas. A mission that just so happened to be close to Magnolia, which was known for its snowstorms this time of year. A shame she might have to stay a day or two there if the weather got bad enough…

"Glad to see you came back. I was a little worried I'd be the only one to remember, after all that's happened."

X784 was a heck of a year… And of course there was that little episode on Tenrou Island that made them miss the next seven subsequent years. X791 hadn't been any less hectic, and now the Guild was seemingly disbanded forever. Talk about a lot between the Christmas of X783 and now. Yeah, Erza's concerns weren't that farfetched.

"Yeah," Natsu grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, standing back up. "I kinda wondered the same about you. Y'know, with joining Mermaid Heel and all. Me 'n Happy came back 'cause it'd be weird to celebrate Christmas anywhere else. Well, that's what I said."

Happy, who had taken up residence in one of the three stockings hanging over the fireplace, shook his head rapidly at the brief inquisitive stare sent his way by Erza. It wasn't that he didn't want to come back here, he just thought the point of going on a training trip was to get away from home. But Natsu won out, of course…

"Same here…" Erza trailed off while looking off to the side a little. Come to think of it, this was the first time they saw each other since the war against Tartaros. Natsu hadn't stuck around to say goodbye to anyone, let alone her.

Feeling a little awkward, Natsu picked at his ear with his pinky and decided to go out shopping.

"W-Well, I'll go out and get the stuff. I'll be back in a…" He trailed off when he noticed the cartful of stuff Erza had behind her. He looked at her slightly suspiciously, knowing she'd leave her armor and weapons and stuff at Mermaid Heel for the most part. "You were gonna eat without us, weren't you?!"

"It would have been your own fault for not showing up," Erza told him flatly, cracking another small smile when he recoiled exaggeratedly. She shrugged neutrally. "And besides, I had to make sure there was strawberry cake. You were negligent that one time."

"A-Aye!" Natsu squeaked out before bowing profusely and apologizing.

Typical Natsu. But at least he got the tree and the decorations up. Erza would give him that much credit. With that taken care of, all that was left was to prepare dinner, which they assumed joint responsibility of. Say what you will about their separate cooking reputations, but when they come together, Natsu and Erza don't make a half bad Christmas Eve feast. Chalk it up to seven years of refinement.

* * *

"I'm sorry about Igneel." Erza suddenly blurted out, to the Dragon Slayer's surprise. They'd finished dinner, and were currently lounging by the fireplace as night had long since fallen outside. Natsu wanted to catch up, and the topics had been light-hearted up to this point.

And then Erza brought that up. The big reason that spurred Natsu to go on that training trip. He needed to get stronger to defeat Acnologia – not just defeat, but actually _kill_. Natsu wondered if he had ever truly wanted to kill anyone before; after witnessing Acnologia kill his father, Natsu sincerely doubts it.

"It's… I'm fine, Erza." Natsu sighed tiredly, knowing full well that he wasn't. And he knew Erza saw through his lie as well. He decided to try and be more general about it, to alleviate the pain a little. "Tartaros affected us all. We won… but not without cost. I… I wish I'd stuck around just a little bit to check up on you guys, 'cause it's been on my mind ever since."

Erza was quiet for a while after that. Trust Natsu to put the pain of others before his own. Which is why to much of the Guild, his abrupt departure came as a shock. Nevertheless, Erza knew better than anyone how painful losing someone can be. Grandpa Rob. Simon. That's why Erza didn't see his departure as a surprise; there had to have been a wealth of emotions running through Natsu when he decided to up and leave like that. Emotions that were still bottled up in him, because really, who was he going to talk to? He didn't stick around to vent to anyone. He might have expressed to Happy what he felt, but beyond him?

"You are not okay." Erza finally replied, slightly startling the Dragon Slayer. She shook her head. "Natsu, you lost your father! I know you want to put up a brave front for everyone, but this isn't something you can just…"

Erza trailed off in frustration, unable to find the right words to express what she meant. She wanted to comfort the Dragon Slayer. Be a shoulder for him to lean on like he was so often for her. Here was an opportunity for her to do just that, and Erza couldn't find the words…

"I cried." Natsu finally said with a crooked grin. He locked eyes with Erza and then went on. "I can't remember the last time I did that, but I cried. I vowed revenge for Igneel. I'm gonna kill Acnologia if it's the last thing I do… But… I won't just forget about you guys. Acnologia is my target, but he doesn't make up the entirety of my existence, y'know? I'm still gonna fight for you guys to the bitter end, 'cause Fairy Tail will be back someday. Fairy Tail is my life, that's what I feel. Killing Acnologia will also protect all of you; I'm not gonna let that bastard take someone else from me."

Erza took a few moments to let his words sink in. This was very different from the Natsu she knew; he'd never wanted to kill anyone before, not even Jellal. However, she couldn't blame him. Not after the black dragon obliterated Igneel. Still, it wasn't as if Natsu was completely changed; he was still the passionate, determined knucklehead that she considered a friend and teammate. Deep down, Erza felt relieved that the whole debacle with Tartaros hadn't affected Natsu to that degree. It seemed with each Dark Guild of the Balam Alliance they took down, Fairy Tail was increasingly impacted. Thus it was only natural that Tartaros shook Fairy Tail to its very core, ultimately bringing about Fairy Tail's disbandment.

That's what happened with me," Natsu concluded. He stared at Erza sympathetically. "I dunno about everything that happened to you, but I bet you got shaken up pretty bad, too. If… If you wanna talk about it, I'll listen."

Smiling wryly at Natsu swiftly turning the discussion back onto her, even when she had so many more questions for him, Erza knew it was only fair. She recalled how after everything settled down, she wondered if she'd ever be able to trust in people again. At the time, Jellal had been there to give her hope, and here Natsu was doing the same thing. Natsu had done a lot of stupid things in the past, but he'd never betrayed her. If anything, he saved her. Not just physically, in the thick of battle, but emotionally as well. Much like the element he threw around, Natsu was a light to not just her, but all of his friends. When any of them were on the verge of giving up, Natsu would find a way to keep their spirits up.

So Erza shared what she'd gone through in the war with Tartaros, and as promised, Natsu listened attentively. And as she internally reflected about past Christmases, she found it ironic. For once, Natsu was getting her to open up; he tried every year when she came over, but the one thing she would never be open with him about was her past. Whenever they talked, it was about him – reminiscing about that year, reminiscing about Igneel, what future plans Natsu had…

 _"Keep deflecting! One day I'm gonna get past your shell! You'll see!"_

The funny thing is, he did. The year after he made that proclamation, too. They might not have celebrated Christmas in X784, but that was the year her past was laid bare and the year they formed a team with Gray and Lucy. Natsu fulfilled his promise. Without even trying, Natsu instilled hope in her that she could trust others. Erza would trust him with her life. And she knew the feeling was mutual.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Brain, I said I wanted the fluff** _ **stopped**_ **. Did no one listen? XD Don't ask me why I'm writing about Christmas in September. I just felt like it. :P This isn't necessarily connected to the previous three chapters; it can be a standalone. I wanted to attempt at least one scene following the events of Tartaros, so this prompt was borne. It probably could have used better characterization since I only have a cursory understanding of that arc, but at least I tried.**

 **This prompt at the very least reflects my reaction to Erza's self-doubts about putting trust in others. If no one else, she could at least believe in Natsu, considering the adventures they've been through (though she could believe in the other members of Team Natsu as well). Then you have Jellal, of course, regardless of my feelings toward the man. Perhaps I'm not interpreting her feelings correctly, though. Like I said, this was just an attempt, miserable as it may be.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Prompt Three: Soon after Erza seems to solidify her relationship with Jellal, Natsu leaves on a solo SSS-Class Quest, for reasons unknown at the time. Twenty five years later, Natsu returns, but strangely only visits the Guild Master. Let's just say he receives less than a warm welcome back…**

 **Characters: Natsu, Erza**

 **Point-in-Time: Far in the Future**

 **Genre: Mystery, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy**

* * *

Heated explosions rocked the mountainside as a monster's roar shook the very earth itself. A pink-haired man was throwing everything he had at the creature, though one good look could tell you he was severely roughed up. His clothes were torn and ragged in places, and there was dried blood coating much of his body, some of it his and some of it not. This was the last monster he had to take down; littering the mountainside were numerous corpses of similar large beasts that had tried to kill him and that threatened a nearby village.

It took Natsu ages to get out here; one thing was for sure, he wasn't in Ishgar anymore. Why such a faraway place would bother sending word all the way to Ishgar – let alone somewhere specific like Fairy Tail – Natsu didn't know, but the point is that he accepted the Quest because people needed help. No one else was accepting the Quest. Whatever other ulterior motives Natsu might have had were pretty much irrelevant in the face of that. He trained diligently on the way here, and felt more than capable of taking an army of giant monsters down.

… Though frankly, now that the completion of the Quest was within reach, Natsu wondered for the first time if he bit off a little more than he could chew. There'd been _tons_ of these things, and he'd unloaded his tireless Magical arsenal on them. And here he was struggling to slay the last beast! He actually felt _tired_ , more tired than he had ever felt in his life.

Pumping everything he had into his next attack, Natsu resolved to complete the job and end the monster with it. The beast was on its last legs, and regardless of warnings that came with cornered prey, Natsu charged in fearlessly. Moments later there was a sickening _crunch_ , and the death howl of the last beast as Natsu's fire attack began to consume its body. If one listened closely, there had been another, more subtle sound just before Natsu's blow struck true.

Panting heavily, and heavily injured in his chest and abdomen areas, Natsu was hunched over but otherwise standing while the beast had passed on.

"H-Heh… Knew I could do it. I guess… it's time to return home." Despite his grievous injuries, Natsu still mustered the strength to smile even when nobody else was present. Even when deep down it somewhat pained him. He had friends back home, but the girl he liked, well… She was happy with someone else.

If that wasn't reason enough to smile, even in a situation like this, Natsu didn't know what was.

* * *

Fairy Tail had changed much over the years, yet at its heart, it had remained the same over twenty five years. They were still a rowdy bunch who caused headaches for their Master, the Magic Council, and basically anyone of importance. New generations of Wizards had risen up through the ranks; some were the progeny of familiar faces, while others were completely new and unrelated to any of the members.

Natsu's abrupt departure on that SSS-Class Quest had left many of his friends miserable, but life moved on. He wasn't dead; not even the infamous Dark Wizard Zeref had been capable of bringing Natsu down – and the man had a link with the Dragon Slayer that would have made them die together! It was simply his absence that brought down their spirits somewhat. If anyone could wrap up a 'Century Quest' in record time, it would be him.

Yet it had been twenty five years. No word about how he was doing, or if he needed help… Life moved on, albeit somewhat begrudgingly for some of the Salamander's closest friends. Not one of them was willing to forget about him, regardless of how long he took. He'd just return like Gildarts did when he returned from an SSS-Class Quest.

The members of Team Natsu took his departure the hardest. Gray didn't have his rival to pummel around anymore. Lucy missed the bright optimism he gave to everyone. Happy was forced to move in with Lisanna, since he didn't feel right living out in Natsu's home all by himself. And Erza… Oooh, Erza was pissed. Not only as the Seventh Guild Master, but also as a member of Team Natsu and one of Natsu's closest friends. She didn't realize what kind of Quest he took until she looked at Mira's records several weeks after Natsu had left, and she vented on the white-haired mage for not telling her sooner, and even then, Mira didn't reveal anything that Natsu might have told her. Writing the village that sent the request bore no responses, at least not in the twenty five years that Natsu had been gone.

Erza was completely beside herself. Jellal comforted her as best as he could, but she was nigh well inconsolable. So five years ago, he had promised to look into it for her, travel to that faraway village if he had to. Erza had him put it off until last year, when she'd just about given up all hope. She had this sinking feeling that 'something' had happened – and really, she did _not_ want to think of that possibility.

Jellal had been gone for seven months now. It supposedly took three and a half months to journey to that faraway village, so Erza was holding out hope that he would be back soon. _Hopefully_ with a certain Dragon Slayer in tow.

* * *

Outside of the Fairy Tail Guild, a man in a gray cloak paused to look up at the Fairy Tail emblem on the building before moving on inside. It felt like it had been an eternity, but he was finally back. As much fun as it might be to start a pub brawl like the good old days, Natsu was aware that he needed to check in with the Master first and foremost. Screw the pecking order thing, he would be checking in with Erza first because she would never forgive him if he just came back and acted like nothing had happened.

Because a lot of things did happen in twenty five years. Well… one major thing did, anyway, and it was depressing Natsu just thinking about it. He was really dreading this meeting, but he _had_ to go through with it. He owed it to Erza. Before Jellal returned, Natsu had to speak with her. And he knew all too well she wasn't going to be in the mood for it.

Finally, Natsu moved toward the door and grasped the handle. He had to time this Spell right, or he would never be able to stealthily move up to the Master's Office. Well, 'stealthily' is a strong word for what it really did; in reality, the Spell caused others to see him as something completely ordinary, and thus okay to overlook. It was similar to the kind of Spell Mystogan used to use, except the Edolas counterpart of Jellal obviously put people to sleep instead of making them overlook him. There was less chance of people finding out about his identity that way; the one Natsu was using carried too much risk, but he had to use it in this instance because he didn't know how to perform Mystogan's Spell. He wasn't sure how much time he had left; every minute counted.

Natsu was amazed to find that it had worked. No one was looking over at him in great detail, and they all were just going about their day. Natsu wished he could be laid back like he used to be… but he no longer had that luxury. Ascending the stairs, Natsu made a beeline for Erza's Office. He was fortunate enough that he could sense only Erza in that room; had anyone else been in there, his return would have definitely gotten out. If that knowledge stuck with Erza for now, chances were good she'd be pissed enough to kick him outta the Guild without letting him say 'hi' to anyone else.

… Honestly, as strange as it sounds, Natsu would've been okay with that. After all that happened, he kinda deserved it.

* * *

Erza looked up when the door opened. That was not typical protocol; either it was something urgent, or Jellal had…

She stopped mid-thought and stared dumbfounded at the person standing before her. No Jellal right behind him, and to add insult to injury, he looked like he had only aged a few years... Either she was hallucinating, or someone was playing some kind of cruel joke on her.

"H-Hey, Erza…" The man grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, just like Natsu used to. "I'm back."

… It sounded like Natsu. Erza knew there were spells that could copy people's appearances as well as their voices, but this couldn't be one of those. She could see it in his eyes – past the sheepishness on his face, the sense of fear and dread… Transformation Magic could not copy the wealth of emotions that could pass through a person's eyes. It'd been many years, but Erza could still recall that Natsu was often like an open book; even if he experienced numerous emotions at the same time, you could pick out and describe each one. Or at least members of Team Natsu could, those who got to know the Fire Dragon Slayer best.

And right now, there was a great deal of remorse in those eyes. Remorse, regret, relief upon seeing her… Erza wasn't sure why he would feel _that_ ; he'd been the one to leave them. Erza herself was… mixed about seeing him again, now. There was great relief that he made it back alive, but she also felt indescribable anger that he went on a SSS-Class mission alone. That he left for twenty five years, and that they hadn't heard _anything_. He was just… gone.

"Don't keep it bottled up, Erza." Natsu said, having read the emotions flying across her face. She blinked in astonishment at him. "You're pissed, and I have nothing really to say in my defense. All I can say is… I'm sorry."

"You're… sorry?" Erza's voice wavered, and her body shook with unbridled rage. "You were gone for TWENTY FIVE YEARS! I deserve SOME kind of explanation, Natsu!"

"… You're right." Natsu stated quietly, eyes averting from hers as he looked down. "I've been away for longer than we've known each other, and I can't say it was for a good reason either. It was selfish on my part, and maybe a little bit stupid… But it hurt, Erza. I… The girl I liked, the woman I fell for… she stopped dancing around the person that she loved. After everything was settled with Zeref, there was time for that kinda stuff.

Erza's eyes were wide, and there was a knot settling in her stomach. She couldn't quite find words to respond to Natsu, so the pink-haired man went on.

"I wasn't bitter or nothin'. How could I be bitter about it? It wasn't that hard to tell she was into that guy. I knew that. Hell, everyone knew it, 'cept for the lucky guy. Well, I guess he knew, too, but he was too wrapped up in his past mistakes to consider somethin' like dating her. But he had strong feelings for her, too, and eventually they just stopped doing the same song and dance. I dunno if he ever stopped dwelling on the past; guess I didn't stick around long enough to tell. All that mattered to me was that she was happy. She really loved him, and I could never get in the way of that. Didn't stop me from feeling that way about her, no matter how many days or weeks passed, but I stuck around long enough to make sure he didn't hurt her again. When it looked like they were set and not gonna break up anytime soon… I left. 'Cause it was too painful for me to be there all the time, to know deep down I could never make her smile like he could."

"N-Natsu…" Erza murmured, completely at a loss. Natsu just smiled wryly at her, not quite meeting her eyes.

"I never intended to go away forever. I just took that mission 'cause it was the toughest one available at the time; I needed to vent. Needed to get away… Needed to take my mind off it for a while. Didn't take anyone along 'cause I didn't want 'em to see what a wreck I was, 'cause I was _really_ depressed. And I wouldn't have wanted to endanger anyone anyway." Natsu shook his head. "I ended up staying out there for a few years, just training. Kinda glad I did, 'cause those monsters were no pushovers. And there were _a lot_ of those things. No wonder the villagers felt threatened."

"So you… you defended the village? You actually completed the mission?" Erza asked quietly. Natsu grinned proudly.

"Was there ever any doubt? 'Course I did! I slayed every last one of those monsters. Really tired me out, though, and I had to stay with the villagers a while to recover. I woulda wrote back or somethin', but… I had my reasons." Natsu finished lamely, unable to tell the whole truth.

"You were gone for twenty five years… What in the world kept you from coming back?" Erza felt some of her anger returning with Natsu becoming reticent again.

"I… It'll all make sense when Jellal gets back." Natsu murmured softly, averting his eyes again. "Just please, know that if I could have made it back sooner, I would've. Y-You know me, trouble always comes to find me. Heh."

Erza narrowed her eyes at the deflection, but grudgingly did not pry further into it for now. If Natsu had run into Jellal, then it wouldn't be long before she got some answers. Erza raised an eyebrow at the pink-haired mage curiously.

"Would you like to hear about how the Guild has grown in your absence?"

"That is one of the reasons I came back!" Natsu smiled cheerfully.

Erza hadn't seen that smile in twenty five years… She didn't realize how much she'd missed it until that moment. Deep down, she felt guilt, because even though Natsu was vague, she knew full well that he was talking about her earlier. She was the reason he left, and the worst part was that things _hadn't_ been solid with Jellal. All those years Natsu had been gone, Jellal had been able to tell that his absence was eating away at Erza. They continued to date, but more and more Erza threw herself into her job as the Guild Master, in the hopes that something would come across her desk in regards to how or where Natsu was.

The job was SSS-Class, however. They were not called 'Century Quests' lightly; sometimes you had to take time to train hard to complete them, as Natsu had done. Returning after twenty five years was a pretty decent record for Natsu's first time with one of those. … But in the time he was gone, Erza had been on edge and worried sick about him. Jellal saw that. The whole _Guild_ saw that. Jellal didn't want to break up with her, so they talked at length about it. The conclusion that Erza had come to…

She would need Natsu to come back before deciding anything. Now that he was back, she just didn't know what to do about her love life anymore… Erza loved Jellal, but she could not deny Natsu was special to her as well. Yet she had been the reason he left on that mission; Erza felt she didn't have a right to express any kind of feelings beyond friendship to him…

So for now she took what she could get – just enjoy being around him again.

"Well, I'm assuming that you didn't stop to speak with anyone downstairs, since I haven't heard a ruckus since you got back." Erza said this as more of a guess, but Natsu knew she was fishing for more information.

"Eh, yeah, I kinda snuck past everyone to get up here." Natsu easily revealed, only looking mildly embarrassed. "Call me insensitive, selfish, whatever, but I didn't wanna start anything and act like I wasn't gone for over two decades. I've hurt you enough already."

Erza went quiet at that explanation. In all likelihood, she would have been very upset if he had done that. But even so, she couldn't shake the feeling that Natsu was being a little _too_ hard on himself. Just what had happened in all those years he was gone?

"It's… It's okay… You're back now." Erza tried to reassure him, but there was still a wealth of sadness and regret in those eyes. Shaking her head, Erza decided to move onto talking about the Guild. "Well, Gray and Juvia got married a few months after you left. They have three kids so far, though Juvia does want a fourth."

Natsu heartily laughed at that.

"So she finally wore Stripper down, huh? Sounds just like her to want loads o' kids. How's Ice Pick feel about it?"

"Overwhelmed." Erza said flatly, recalling the many talks they would have because Gray did not know how to 'handle' pregnant women. Like she was his go-to book for such things… A ghost of a smile did appear on her face at the memory of Juvia's enthusiasm, though. She was especially in Lucy's face about it when she married Gray – 'love rivals' and all that. "Elfman and Evergreen are married. Mira and Freed, as well."

"Lemme guess, Gajeel and Levy, too?" Natsu remarked dryly before snickering at Erza's apparent nod. "C'mon, Erza, there's gotta be more going on than people tying the knot!"

Erza twitched at that, having not married Jellal in all the years Natsu had been away; those events being some of the happiest occasions for her.

"Fine…" Erza grumbled, in a form of revenge deciding to keep quiet about Laxus and Lucy getting together, as strange as that may have sounded to Natsu… Frankly, Erza couldn't believe it happened, either, and she was there to see them progress to it! "Well, Asuka is grown up. She's a sharpshooter just like her parents."

They carried on like that for what seemed like hours; Erza didn't think she'd remember all that much except for the major stuff, but Natsu's constant questions helped jog her memory of various friends even outside of Fairy Tail. In return, Natsu shared a bit about the village he journeyed to, what the land was like, how the people treated him… Erza was happier than she'd been in a long time, just talking with Natsu.

And then the discussion turned onto Erza and how she had been holding up.

"Eh? I'd have thought you and Jellal woulda tied the knot years ago! Maybe even have a few mini-knights runnin' around!" Natsu exclaimed. And then he adopted a contrite expression, as he put the pieces together. "Ugh… Even when I just try 'n leave people to their happiness, I ruin it. Man, this sucks. If I'd stuck around, you'd have had a bunch o' kids with Jellal by now. I screwed up…"

"Natsu…" Erza murmured. She clenched her fists in frustration as her gaze hardened on him. "It's _not_ your fault! I was never angry at you for leaving, I was worried. Maybe I shouldn't have been, but I realized how much you meant to me in the process. Feelings don't just appear like that, Natsu; I took you for granted, and I went for the man I thought I wanted. Or maybe I do want him, I don't know! I needed you here to figure this out."

Erza squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head. She was struggling to hold back the tears, but was very close to succumbing to them.

"Erza." She froze at how soft Natsu's voice was. When she looked back up at him, tears were falling down his face. "I'mcausing you pain. You don't even know the half of it yet. You don't need to spare my feelings on this – _I'm_ the one who left, _I'm_ adding conflict to your heart… I never wanted that to happen. I hoped by leaving for a while, you and Jellal would be a sure thing, and then I could just come back without coming between you two. Kinda hard to do that when the conflict's already there, and that was my mistake.

Closing his eyes, Natsu sighed tiredly.

"Erza. I want you to do something for me, okay?" He reopened his eyes and stared at her with determination. "I can't push you and Jellal together; I know that's not how the human heart works. But! I want you to find someone you're happy with, and I want you to stick with him. Don't second-guess your feelings, and just go for him. You'll be a lot happier than I was in the long run."

Erza was so mesmerized by Natsu's eyes that she almost missed Levy bursting into her office. She did miss Natsu throwing his hood up, and casting a spell, but he maintained eye contact through it all.

"Erza! You have to come quick! Jellal's back!"

Blinking, Erza looked to Levy and nodded, before standing up. The blue-haired woman ran back out, but Erza took a moment to stare at Natsu.

"Levy didn't notice you."

Natsu smiled grimly.

"It's all gonna make sense soon, Erza. For what it's worth, and I guess it isn't much… But I'm sorry."

Erza wanted nothing but to strangle him for being so cryptic, but Natsu hurried out the door before she could ask him just what he meant. Shaking her head, Erza ran after him, but he was gone when she exited her Office, and he was nowhere to be seen downstairs.

* * *

There was a big crowd surrounding Jellal and something he had brought back. Erza could see some of her closest friends gathered at the center, and they did not look happy or relieved. People parted for Erza, and she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she got closer… That wasn't just a box and Jellal had brought back with him. It was a casket.

"J-Jellal…?" Erza whispered as she took one look at him. "Wh-What…"

The azure-haired mage looked away from her face as his mouth formed a thin line.

"When I got to the village, the people seemed to be expecting me. Their country does not have Wizard Guilds of their own to call upon, which is why they relied on us. They… were afraid that we would seek retribution for what happened, and so they kept silent. Yet they knew one day we might send another of our own to investigate, and they prepared accordingly. They paid in full for the SSS-Class Quest, with interest in order to help anyone Natsu may have left behind.

Erza stumbled back as Jellal's explanation progressed. She wanted to protest at what Jellal was insinuating, but the evidence seemed to speak for itself because there was indeed a casket sitting there. She had spoken with Natsu mere minutes ago! He was _alive_!

"Twenty years ago, Natsu did battle with gigantic beasts that numbered easily over two hundred. He slew every last one, but suffered grievous battle injuries that turned out to be fatal. The village doctors could do nothing for him. In spite of all that, Natsu died with a smile on his face, promising that we would not seek retribution, that they were safe and could rest easily." Here, Jellal paused and looked at Erza consolingly. "I tried to refuse payment, but they insisted, saying it was a request that Natsu made on his deathbed. He wanted the reward to be split among the members of Team Natsu, thinking it could help whatever financial situations you would be in. A 'pitiful compensation for not making it back', as he so put it, but the best that he could manage. Similarly, he leaves his possessions to his team, to be split up as they see fit. Those were his final requests."

Erza stood there rigidly for several tense moments. She desperately, _desperately_ wanted to believe that this wasn't true. That Natsu would just pop out of the casket as some sort of cruel joke, and that everything could go back to normal after that. But… now that she reflected on it, everything he said to her fell into place. His regret, his sadness… not wanting to meet with the others, Natsu didn't want to give everyone false hope. He came to her because there were things that he needed to say that he never did in life. If Natsu hadn't somehow become a ghost, if she'd just seen his corpse there in the casket, Erza didn't even want to think about that. She _would_ have been angry at him for leaving on that mission and never coming back; she would've done any number of regrettable things in her grief.

Trust Natsu to pull a Mavis because he was so concerned about her. He might've had 'selfish' reasons for coming back, like wanting to know how the Guild was carrying on, but he had selfless reasons as well. He never outright said it, but the main purpose of his visit had to have been for 'one last talk' with her. A talk that most people don't get to experience with relatives or friends who have passed on, let alone in a natural way like they did. Natsu was… thoughtful. More than words could express. He said it himself that he brought her pain, that she 'didn't know the half of it', and he fully took responsibility for his actions. Erza couldn't be angry at him now, just… immensely sad.

Steeling herself, Erza moved to take the casket lid off. It was just something she had to do – see his body with her own eyes. Erza felt her heart constrict on itself when she did. Lying there, with a huge hole between his chest and abdomen, was Natsu Dragneel. Two decades had led his body to decay somewhat, but it was still clear that it was him.

 _"I can't push you and Jellal together; I know that's not how the human heart works. But! I want you to find someone you're happy with, and I want you to stick with him. Don't second-guess your feelings, and just go for him. You'll be a lot happier than I was in the long run."_

He had doubts that he could make her smile like Jellal, and so he kept silent for her sake, but the truth is that she did love him. She loved Natsu. With all of her heart. And now it was too late to act on Natsu's advice.

* * *

 **Author's Note: … Well, that happened. I thought we were due for some angst/tragedy, and look what my mind conjured up. I feel bummed out just writing this. :P**

 **I know about Natsu's E.N.D. bit, that he's not 'human' really, so just consider this an AU like anything else in this collection. The thing is, just like any other fan, I dunno how FT is gonna end; the way it's going with so few deaths, I'm kind of doubting Natsu will die at the end of it all. Whether that's because they find a way to beat Zeref without killing him, whether it's because they find some way to circumvent the bond between the two of them, maybe give Natsu some new life force or something, I dunno. Perhaps in this AU, Natsu's death through that bond was just delayed, and that's why he wound up dying on an 'ordinary' SSS-Class mission.**

 **But who knows? Maybe he will die at the end of it all and we'll be thrown for a loop courtesy of Mashima.** _ **I**_ **for one doubt it because Nalu and Jerza have been owning the series for a while now… and we can't leave Lucy loveless. :P Ah, but this is why we have fanfiction. We are free to imagine what could have been, here. ^^**

 **Hope I didn't botch it up too badly! We'll be getting back to the fluff next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Prompt Four: Erza visits Natsu's grave and reminisces about the times following the defeat of the Alvarez Empire. In particular, she recalls the last discussion they had while he was alive, and feels immensely guilty about not noticing the little things back then. Those signs should have been dead giveaways, but she had still remained oblivious to them…**

 **Corresponds to: Chapter 3**

 **Characters: Natsu, Erza**

 **Point-in-Time: Far in the Future**

 **Genre: Mystery, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy**

* * *

It was raining when Erza went out to the cemetery. Reminiscent of the days when Elfman and Mira would go to visit Lisanna's grave, when they believed her to be dead all those years ago. Unfortunately, Natsu wasn't trapped on some parallel world; Mystogan had closed up all the bridges that linked their worlds, and Erza sincerely doubted there was another parallel world out there. There could be no mistake this time – Natsu Dragneel was dead, and there was no bringing him back. Gone like Uncle Rob. Gone like Simon.

Was she destined to suffer? Because after the Alvarez Empire's fall, she thought for sure that the world had decided she had suffered enough. None of her friends perished at the hands of the Spriggan Twelve. Crime Sorciere had joined Fairy Tail – even the former Oracion Seis. She was forced to keep the Guild Master position, but it allowed her to promote some of her closest friends to S-Class, a rank they had long since achieved.

Everyone seemed happy. Even Natsu was taking and completing S-Class jobs like clockwork. At one point Natsu even helped Richard go find Wally, who was still travelling the world with Sho; Richard did leave the Guild after that, but only so he could stay with his brother. The Fire Dragon Slayer showed no indications he was hurting or wanting to tell her something… But upon reflection, Erza admitted she wasn't very attentive back then, at least not very much. She was peripherally aware of certain details now, but back then, she was so absorbed with Jellal. Some guilt for his past actions was still there, but Erza could tell that guilt didn't rule Jellal's life anymore. He was ready to move on, however reluctantly.

They started going out, yet kept it a secret from most of the Guild at first. There were some who were aware, like Mirajane and Meredy (and Natsu, apparently); it would have been hard keeping such secret from them. They'd kept it secret in case it didn't work out, but both of them had felt fairly sure of their relationship at the time. And they did wind up announcing their relationship on the evening of the Fantasia Parade that year, after they had performed for the town; she could still remember the palpable cheer that was in the air that night in the Guild Hall. They all threw a celebration for her and Jellal that night – turns out Mira was ready and waiting for the big announcement, despite the fact they weren't getting married yet, and had prepared food and drink ahead of time.

It was a night Erza would never forget. From what she could recall, Natsu ended up staying for most if not all of it; she saw his shock of pink hair frequently in their crowd of friends, even when he wasn't talking to her. They did talk after the party died down and everyone went home, and that was the memory Erza was focusing on as she looked down at Natsu's grave, raindrops cascading over her body as she neglected to bring an umbrella along with her. She wasn't even wearing her Heart Kreuz Armor; she was in a white blouse similar to the kind she used to wear years ago.

Eventually, Erza crumpled to her knees in grief as the memory overwhelmed her…

* * *

 _Flashback_

The party had died down, and Mira was sending everyone home with the promise they would clean up the Guild Hall tomorrow; some were drunk and being helped by their friends, while others had left the party early due to the need to be rested for the following day. Erza was one of the last to leave, and was walking back to Fairy Hills by herself after wishing Jellal good night. The stars were out, and some townspeople were still setting off fireworks to celebrate the Fantasia Parade. And unlike most nights, there were a lot of lights still on in the city of Magnolia, most of which were decorative and made the town look truly beautiful.

Erza was mildly surprised to see Natsu leaning against a tree close to the path that led to Fairy Hills. It seemed like quite the detour for him, considering where he lived with Happy, but his bright grin wasn't hard to miss as his face lit up upon seeing her.

"Natsu!" The redhead greeted as she stopped a few feet away from the Dragon Slayer. The pink-headed young man dropped his arms from the back of his head and left them at his sides lazily.

"Some party, huh? Who woulda thought we'd see the day Jellal stop makin' up excuses to be with you?"

Misinterpreting his words somewhat, Erza narrowed her eyes.

"Don't go picking fights, Natsu. I promise, we're past the days where he has hurt me. I have no reason to cry anymore."

Natsu's smile faded somewhat as his face took on a hint of guilt.

"I know. You won't need to worry about me being stupid around him; he's not the guy that was willing to sacrifice you at the Tower of Heaven. I understood that a long time ago." Shaking his head to remove the dimness from his face, Natsu's cheerfulness returned, putting Erza at ease again. "You're happy, and that's all that matters. I didn't come out here for that, though, 'cause I'm sure you've heard it a bunch of times already. I actually wanted to thank you."

Erza raised an eyebrow curiously at him.

"For what? I haven't done anything for you lately."

Natsu grinned bashfully and rubbed the back of his head.

"How about for watchin' over everyone and just bein' a really good friend over the years? I got a lot to thank you for, Erza; you even cleared up some doubts for me recently without even tryin'!" At the curious tilt of her head, Natsu waved a hand dismissively and laughed sheepishly. "Don't worry about it, I'm good now.

When Erza didn't pry further, the two of them settled into a comfortable silence and stared out at the gorgeous lights of Magnolia. After a while, Natsu spoke up again, but this time with a hint of nervousness to his voice.

"Erza… I… you matter…" When Erza turned her head back to him to give her undivided attention, Natsu lightly blushed and shook his head, cracking a toothy grin. "… Just wanted to say I'm glad I met you. And just 'cause you're the Guild Master, don't think I haven't given up our rivalry! I'm still gonna beat you someday!"

At Natsu's bravado, Erza smirked and nodded her head in acceptance of his challenge. She blinked when he stuck out his arm, but accepted his hand anyway. At his devious grin, she whopped him upside the head for even _thinking_ that meant she would _ever_ accept a loss from him. They were rivals, so she was never going to go easy on him.

As Erza started to walk to the girls' dorm after a brief farewell, she turned right around as if remembering something. At the time, she missed the tiny glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"There is something I wanted to say as well. Thank you for everything over the years, Natsu. You've been a true friend, and I'm glad I met you, as well." She then smiled and waved back at him and ran back to the dorm.

Natsu stood there for a few moments waving at her as she went. With her back to him, he wiped away a few stray tears and headed back to his own home. The next morning, he would take that SSS-Class mission…

 _End Flashback_

* * *

Tears spilled from Erza's eyes as she clutched Natsu's grave with her hands, her drenched hair falling in front of her face. She didn't know how, but she had completely forgotten that conversation as the years went by. Erza could only remember it now because of his ghostly visit. He came so close to confessing back then, but he gave up because he was so supportive of her and Jellal. It was as Natsu said – he didn't want to cause conflict in her heart. Reflecting on it now, Erza had to wonder how he handled it; he obviously wanted to get it off his chest before taking that mission, but he couldn't bring himself to ruin her happiness. The pain in his heart must have been agonizing.

And she'd been completely oblivious to it.

Erza felt the rain stop showering over her, and she looked up in shock as Jellal was standing behind her with an umbrella in hand.

"I knew you would be out here…" The azure-haired mage uttered quietly, his face solemn. Their relationship was over, in all honesty it hadn't felt like a 'true' relationship in years, but he was still a dear friend. For a while, there was nothing but the sound of pitter-pattering of rain as they stood and sat there respectively. Then Jellal said, "He did leave something behind specifically for you. I know I was vague about the distribution of his possessions, but this one was very… personal."

When Erza didn't react or even look up at him, Jellal reached into his jacket and pulled out scarf that was neatly coiled. He balanced the umbrella between his hands and wrapped the scarf around Erza's neck after gently lifting her wet hair. He then stood up straight again as she sat there frozen in shock.

"He wanted to let you know that… that he will always be there to watch over you. It isn't much, but he hoped by giving you this, you could be reminded of his presence, like he was when Igneel had fallen. Natsu wanted you, the person he treasured most, to have the item he cherished most."

More tears fell as Erza brought up a hand softly to feel the scarf now wrapped around her. If she inhaled deeply enough, there was even a faint trace of Natsu's scent left on it. Much of it might have been washed away if it had been cleaned after Natsu's final battle, but she swore that his essence was still there, now wrapped warmly around her.

"Thank you, Jellal…" Erza very quietly murmured as she closed her eyes and wept. Inwardly, she added, _'Thank you, Natsu…'_

The rain never let up that day, as the sadness in her heart would never let up. However, Erza would move on to the best of her ability. Natsu wouldn't want her to remain moored in the past like this, so she would keep on living and protecting their Guild. She wouldn't be able to continue a relationship with Jellal despite Natsu's wishes; that was the one thing she would never budge on. Because one day Erza would be reunited with him. She would tell him how the Guild grew, and she would berate him for leaving; and above all, she would reciprocate his feelings. Because Erza loved Natsu – this was absolute.

* * *

 **Author's Note: … Shorter than usual, but this is an epilogue to Chapter Eight. A reader wanted a conclusion, and I decided they had a point as I looked back at it. It's not any less sad, but that's just the nature of the piece. Maybe 'logically' Erza would move on and carry on with her relationship with Jellal, I can't deny the possibility. But for the sake of keeping it Natza, even tragic!Natza… Well, I just stuck to the pairing. Sue me. :P**

 **Maybe some of you will recognize where I got the inspiration from for that flashback scene. I will admit it was inspired and that it isn't original, but it had potential so I ran with it. 'Agonizing Heart' indeed. XD**

 **In regards to the AU I've written most about – I will concede that Guest made valid points about Lucy. Personally, I am not attached to her character myself, but for the sake of being impartial, I tried to involve her a little bit anyway because that's just my policy. I try my best not to bash characters, and I try to give characters attention no matter my personal feelings toward them. I'll freely admit it – Lucy Heartfilia is like the Sakura Haruno of Fairy Tail. She's portrayed as the main heroine, but she relies on her Celestial Spirits to fight and tends to more often than not get kidnapped or something of that ilk. Not to say the other heroines of FT don't have moments like those, but to Lucy… it happens a looot. To a certain extent I agree with one author's view on the reasons for her character's faults, that what she lacks in battle prowess she (at least slightly) makes up for in plot importance, but from my POV, she's largely there for the Nalu fanservice (prime example: Grand Magic Games. She is beaten harshly by Sabretooth's Minerva, and that drives Natsu to go all-out against Sting and Rogue). The Celestial Spirits do play key roles throughout the series, the Eclipse Gate stands out the most to me, and that's largely why I've been hesitant about dropping her from Team Crimson Flame.**

 **… On the other hand, I do realize in that AU she is not on par with Team Crimson Flame, and have admitted as much in the narrative since the beginning, the supportive talk from Natsu, Erza, and Gray notwithstanding. In my pursuit to be impartial to all characters, I failed to consider that dropping her off the team is not equivalent to dropping her from the plot cold turkey. She'll still be their friend, and can maybe even take a few missions with them later on, but there's no real purpose to serve with having her on the team on a** _ **permanent**_ **basis. Similar to Gray, I think I'll bump her to a 'part-time' position on Team Crimson Flame; that way, whenever the Celestial Spirits come into play, it's not too farfetched that Team Crimson Flame is involved somehow. The derogatory comments about her are somewhat uncalled for, but I won't argue about her contributions (or lack thereof) to battles. I'll repeat that I'm not attached to her character, but I don't blatantly hate her either… Am I annoyed with her? Yeah. But only because of the (thankfully still one-sided) Nalu pairing the series insists upon canonically. :P**


	5. Chapter 5

**Prompt Five: Valentine's Day, otherwise known as a day of Hell for anyone that doesn't already have a romantic partner at Fairy Tail. For the very simple reason that Mirajane Strauss has a** _ **habit**_ **of pairing anyone off if she deems them to be a 'perfect couple'. Natsu Dragneel has eluded Mira's wily attempts at putting him on blind dates for years, and now the former barmaid can't take it anymore. Just who does the knuckleheaded Fire Dragon Slayer have feelings for?! Cana? Lisanna? Lucy? Juvia?** _ **Wendy**_ **? Mira doesn't know, but she** _ **is**_ **going to find out. Even if she has to go through an overprotective redheaded knight to see it.**

 **Characters: Mira, Natsu, Erza, various FT members, Crime Sorciere, Kagura, Milliana**

 **Point-in-Time: Valentine's Day (any year after X784)**

 **Genre: Humor, Parody, Romance**

* * *

Delightfully evil giggles escaped Mira as she hovered over a simmering pot of some mysterious vibrant, violet-colored liquid. It was early morning before anyone got to the Guild, so no one was around to see the Demon Mirajane creep out of her bubbly shell, clearly up to mischief. She had had it up to _here_ with a certain boy's evasiveness on the matter of love. He was dense, scrappy, adventurous, not a bad looker, and above all, had a heart of gold. Such was Natsu Dragneel that he had remained off of her 'romantic radar' for all the years she had known him, not once indicating he had feelings beyond friendship for a girl. _Even on Valentine's Day_! The day when she ruled supreme as the Love Goddess that shamelessly paired people off in the Guild.

Unacceptable. Simply **unacceptable**.

 _'Well, the joke's on him! This year he won't have a choice in the matter!'_ Mira let out another bout of evil cackles. He would not evade her this year. Past years had Mira playing the proverbial game of 'Pin the Girlfriend on the Natsu' in a slew of blind dates that he _never_ showed up for, even when she was super careful in erasing any evidence of her hand in manipulating the dates. It was as if they were playing a game of cat and mouse, and the mouse had done very well so far in not getting gobbled up by the cat.

We-he-he-hell… No blind dates this year. The kiddie gloves were off now – the girls would be just _lining up_ for a chance at spending the day with the Fire Dragon Slayer. Because Mira would be adding a very special ingredient to Natsu's usual order of flaming meat on this day. A potion that would make him nigh well irresistible to the fairer sex; it lasted only for a day, and only affected those who were within a certain distance of the Dragon Slayer, as the potion would make his body reek of a tantalizing scent.

Of course Mira had taken precautions to keep all girls already taken away from the Guild for the day with their boys – like Bisca, Levy, Erza, Evergreen, etc. Well, Erza might've been a bit of a stretch since she was still dancing around her crush, but really, Mira arranged for Jellal to be in town for a day so that her rival wouldn't lose whatever feelings she might have for the azure-haired pretty boy. As for Mira herself, she would be enjoying the show up on the second floor, where she would gauge Natsu's various reactions to the girls' advances and compile that data for later. Natsu had to reveal _something_ in his bewilderment. It was nothing personal, Mira was just sick of Natsu being one big mystery when it came to what girl he might like.

Now, finding if that special girl reciprocated li'l ol' Natsu's feelings without a love potion working them over, Mira might have to set up a second 'date' later that week with the situation reversed. Being the self-designated Love Goddess of Fairy Tail was oh-so-much fun. Mira loved her job, she really did.

* * *

When Natsu entered the Guild later that day, it was with his usual wary glance toward Mira. There was no mysterious love letter pinned to his front door when he left, but that didn't mean Mira had given up her little game. If anything, he was even more nervous about what she might have in store this year. Was it really so hard to understand that he wasn't lookin' for a girlfriend? 'Cause they went through this same song and dance every February 14th. Mira causes trouble, he slips away for the day, they're annoyed with one another come the next day, rinse and repeat the following year.

"Come and pull up a seat, Natsu!" Mira chirped from behind the counter, putting Natsu even more on-guard. She was always super-cheerful on this day, and that only meant she was up to no good, as usual. Mira pouted cutely at him. "Doh! Stop being so suspicious! Come and let your dear, sweet Mira-chan serve you up some breakfast!"

Natsu glared warily at her a while longer before his traitorous tummy growled at him in protest, and he was left with no choice but to enter the lion's den. It was either that or painstakingly wait to snag some fish from the river, and Natsu was too hungry to go through with that. Besides, Mira always gave a discount on the meals on this holiday; the more food that got in his belly, the better.

Natsu just wished there were other breakfast options. The Guild looked emptier than normal on this day, so he wouldn't have to deal with a line like at other restaurants, yet it only set off more alarm bells in his head that Mira was up to somethin'. So when Natsu sat on one of the stools around the bar counter, he did so stiffly.

"You didn't send out letters from 'me' to any girls, did you…?" Natsu asked with narrowed eyes as he put in his usual order of flaming meat. Mira smiled serenely and giggled at the question.

"Would I do that…? Teehee." She then went off to prepare his food, leaving Natsu to greatly worry that was Mira's plan of attack this year.

He would have to eat like the wind and get out of there while he still could. He didn't avoid all those stupid blind dates only to lose to Mira this year! Nope, nope, nope!

"Hey, Natsu." The blonde Celestial mage sweatdropped as Natsu screamed in shock and fell off the stool, glaring at her moodily for nearly giving him a heart attack. "Mira's still got you paranoid, huh?"

"It's _not_ paranoia…" Natsu grumbled as he climbed back onto the stool. He then wailed while clutching both sides of his head. "You don't know what it's like, going through the same shenanigans year after year! It's like the Halloween of winter!"

Lucy twitched at Natsu's attitude toward the holiday. Hey, she might've had a snowball's chance in Hell of getting the Dragon Slayer to like her, but did he really have to rub salt in the wound? At this rate she was going to wind up as a crazy old cat lady who lives on her own! And chances were those 'cats' would just be Happy's litter of kittens to torment her until the end of her days!

"Hey, Natsu! Hi, Lucy!" Both Natsu and Lucy turned to see Wendy running up to them with a smile on her face. She proceeded to sit on the other side of Natsu. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Y-Yeah…" Natsu didn't sound too enthusiastic, and he massaged his left arm when Lucy punched it for being his usual 'Valentine's Day self' in front of Wendy. Really, it was outta his hands; this day just plain sucked for him. "You too. Hehe."

Natsu sincerely hoped Mira hadn't set him up with Wendy _or_ Lucy; Wendy was practically his younger sister, and Lucy was… well, Lucy. One of his best friends, but nothing more than that. A little too weird to be 'girlfriend' material.

"Miiira! Where's my booze!" Cana called a few seats down from where the three of them sat at the bar, and this was about the time Natsu was really getting a bad feeling about all this. There only seemed to be girls around the Guild at this time – _single_ girls. Natsu's 'Mira Senses' were tingling like crazy.

"Didn't you have a date today, Cana?" Lucy asked the brunette curiously.

"Dumped 'im when Mira offered free booze all day today!" Cana cheered ecstatically and thumped the barrel next to her on the counter, trying to get Mira to hurry it up. "Miiira!"

Okay, Natsu's 'Mira Senses' were going haywire at this point. Mira knew exactly what she was getting into by arranging such a deal; Cana was the heaviest damn drinker in Fairy Tail! She _wanted_ Cana there!

"Here you go, Natsu!" Lisanna chirped as she brought out Natsu's flaming meat. Natsu twitched slightly at this, not liking this situation _at all_. Every fiber of his being was _screaming_ for him to get out of there, and yet…

Natsu was starving. His favorite dish was in front of him and he was in pretty good company. Deciding he'd just wolf down his meal before Mira's masterplan could be put into effect, Natsu dug in, unknowing of the horrors awaiting him…

* * *

Up on the second floor, Mira and a few others watched as the show unfolded from there. It wasn't really Mira's intention to involve Wendy, as she was pretty sure the relationship between the two Dragon Slayers was platonic in nature, but she was unable to shoo the girl away without looking too suspicious for doing so. Mira could tell Natsu was steadily tensing up as he slowly recognized the trap he was in, but she had to muffle her laughter as Natsu actually ate his specially prepared meal. Ohhh, by that point it was checkmate, and those four girls at the bar were glomping the Dragon Slayer and trying to fight one another off.

"I didn't expect Lucy to be knocked out of the race so soon, but I suppose that was bound to happen with Lisanna and Cana double-teaming her like that." Makarov mused as he stroked his mustache. For indeed, the blonde Celestial Spirit mage was rendered unconscious before she could even call upon a single Celestial Spirit.

And now it looked like Cana was trying to stuff poor Natsu into her empty barrel so she could fight her competition without fear of hurting her 'beloved' Natshu.

"That's my girl! You want something, you _take it_ , honey!" Gildarts laughed boisterously before Makarov socked him in the face with a Titan-enhanced fist for being too loud.

"Hush. Even with Freed's enchantments protecting us, I don't want Natsu going on a rampage in the Guild Hall because you ticked him off."

"I think that's gonna happen anyway," Laxus remarked dryly as he crossed his arms and stared out at the lower level in amusement. That idiot didn't know just how trapped he was. But he would learn, and they'd be in for quite the clothes-ripping show.

"Oooh, they made it after all!" Mira squealed as two new girls entered the fray – that is to say, the Guild Hall. The other two members of Crime Sorciere. After all, Mira wanted to be _thorough_ in her research when it came to the Dragon Slayer; if he didn't react positively to the girls fighting over him currently, maybe these two outsiders would get his little motor running.

The Love Goddess could dream, couldn't she?

* * *

Natsu had _no idea_ what was going on. One second he was cramming the delicious flaming pile of meat into his mouth, and the next… Oh Kami. _Why_?! Lucy, Wendy, Lisanna, and even Cana were smothering him in hugs. Though Lucy was quickly taken out of the picture by Lisanna breaking a bottle of beer over her head, and Cana repeating the action with her empty barrel to make sure she stayed down.

From there things got weirder. He _tried_ to slip out of Wendy's arms and make a break for it, but Cana yanked him her way… and crammed him face-first into her now-open barrel. Natsu then felt her put the top back on, and Natsu couldn't see anything anymore. Oh, he could hear Cana, Wendy, and Lisanna getting serious in… whatever they were doing… Somebody even tipped the barrel over, making him more disoriented. But Natsu couldn't see a dang blasted thing and…

Great. Now he was rolling. Somebody kicked the friggin' barrel and got him rolling! Those jerks!

"Enough is _enough_!" Natsu grumbled as he felt a little of his motion sickness settling in. Building up Magical Energy in his mouth, Natsu took a deep breath, and… "Fire Dragon's ROAR!"

A few things happened after that. For one, the barrel exploded, netting Natsu the freedom he so desperately yearned for. However, in his tumbling, Natsu came to a stop at a certain Water mage's table. A certain Water mage who was lamenting the fact that Gray was out on a job, and wouldn't be back for at least a couple days. So Juvia couldn't spend the day with her beloved whether he wanted her to or not.

 _'Why is Juvia's heart beating so fast…?'_ The blue-haired woman stared at Natsu with wide eyes as he used her table to prop himself up, groaning while doing so.

"Oh, hey, Juvia!" The Dragon Slayer greeted and rubbed the back of his head soothingly, grinning widely at her. "What're you doin' here? I figured you'd be chasin' Gray all over like there was no tomorrow!"

While Natsu laughed lightly at the thought of it, Juvia's cheeks were pinking, and she was getting this _very_ strong urge to cuddle the Fire Dragon Slayer. Like, no, seriously. He was a _fine_ hunk of man, and he was so… so… kawaii!

"Natsu, my love, come comfort your beloved Juvia!" She smiled that smile that she normally reserved for Gray as she leaped out of her seat and lunged toward him with outstretched arms. She summarily crashed into the floor as Natsu twitched and sidestepped her. This did not seem to deter Juvia, however, as she smiled up at him. "Oh, you like to play hard to get, too! That's okay! Juvia is used to being forward to get Juvia's man!"

Natsu inwardly bawled like a baby.

"Not you too…!" That settled it, he was going _home_ and holing himself up there for the rest of the day!

But as he turned around, Natsu sweatdropped at the sight of Ultear and Meredy standing there, clad in their cloaks as usual… and drooling at the sight of him apparently. What had he done to instill such frothing desire from the female masses today?! Even Cana, Wendy, and Lisanna had stopped their squabbling to take notice of Juvia, Ultear, and Meredy near him, and were now stampeding on over.

"Oh, _hell no_!" Cana was yelling with a hungry glint in her eye. "That's _my_ Natshu you're fucking with!"

" _Your_ Natsu?! Since when did you care about a boy more than your precious booze?!" Lisanna roared with a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"'Course I care for poor, sweet Natshu! We both deal with Gray on a regular basis!" Cana hiccupped with a cute pout. She was summarily tackled to the ground by Lisanna, who was growling with immense frustration. She had been planning for her and Natsu's wedding since they were kids, damn it! No _way_ was some drunk bimbo gonna get in the way of that!

While this took some of the heat off Natsu, there were still four lustful-looking girls cornering him, and Natsu groaned as Juvia stuck him in one of those giant water bubble things next. Where was Happy when he needed the little furry traitor?! Worst Valentine's Day **ever**!

"Fire Dragon's Roar…!" Natsu tried to break out of the orb, but only ended up boiling the water and scalding his skin. "HOT, HOT, HOT!"

"None of you understand Natsu like _I_ do…" Ignoring Natsu's plight, Ultear bowed her head so that her hair obscured her eyes, and launched barrages of orbs at her 'despicable' rivals in love. "Infinity Orbs…!"

"Maguilty Sodom!" Meredy called out, similarly sending out many swords to attack her opponents. Not even Ultear was spared, much to the raven-haired woman's chagrin. Suffice to say, Wendy was overwhelmed by the combined assault and was knocked out, but Juvia was now taking cover and glowering from behind her makeshift shield – that is, the table she was sitting at.

"Meredy! I thought we could share!" Ultear scolded the pinkette.

"Apologies, mother, but I will not be sharing sexy god-made-flesh that is Natsu Dragneel. He is to be mine alone…" Meredy droned in the voice she used to use in Grimoire Heart. Well, fuck. If Meredy was going from 'closet Jellal fangirl' back to 'logic incarnate', Natsu was right fucked, wasn't he? "We shall have eight gorgeous pink-haired children, and live in a house on the coast. And you will be _grand_ mother Ultear."

Growling lowly at the jibe, Ultear unleashed a furious assault that was spammed in all directions. Luckily for Natsu, he was freed from the boiling orb of water he'd been trapped in. Unluckily for Natsu, he was pounded repeatedly by Ultear's uncontrolled attack, and now Lisanna, Canna, and Juvia were all gunning for him. Not even bothering to bolt for the stairs, Natsu _jumped_ to the railing on the second level and clutched onto it for dear life.

Needless to say… Mira was shocked. Had Freed _really_ been that stupid?! She explicitly told him that she wanted an enchantment protecting the upper level! He must have only placed it on the stairs, never stopping to think that _maybe_ Natsu could jump up there to save his life! Moron! Now Mirajane Strauss was getting a taste of her own medicine as Natsu struggled to pull himself up there, glaring at her all the while. This was _her_ doing, and he was quite annoyed with her!

But Mira wasn't registering any of that ire. She was staring at Natsu with a fierce blush and steam coming out of her ears now that he was in close enough proximity to get her affected by her own damn concoction.

"NATSUUU!" Mira squealed and pounced on Natsu just as he was crossing over the railing to her side, and they wound up falling splat on the floor below, with the Dragon Slayer ungracefully (and painfully) breaking the eldest Strauss's fall. Yet Mira paid that little heed and wrapped her arms around the Dragon Slayer's neck and affectionately rubbed their cheeks together. "Ohhh, my pwecious hubby-wubby! If you just wanted to be with your pwecious Mira-chan, all you had to do was ask!"

Natsu wilted under all the indignant growls and glares levelled his and Mira's way; well, mostly at Mira, but there were some distinct 'how could you' heated stares from people like Lisanna, Meredy, and Juvia…

So let's recap. Lucy and Wendy were conked out. Cana, Lisanna, Ultear, Meredy, Juvia, and now Mira were all rabid for him. And Laxus, Gildarts, and Makarov were full belt-out laughing now that they didn't have to hide their presence from the Dragon Slayer. Oh, and Natsu had about a snowball's chance in Hell of making it out of there without losing any limbs or dying a slow, maybe-not-quite-painful death of suffocation by boobs. That's right – Mira was now sitting them both up and smushing his face between her bountiful breasts. Any other guy would've killed to have been his position, but not Natsu. No. He just wanted sweet, sweet oxygen!

Oh, and now it seemed as if Ultear and Meredy were yanking on his arms to pry him away from the eldest Strauss Sibling. How Natsu knew it was them, he didn't know; he just knew Mira wasn't giving him up without a fight as she clutched onto him possessively, and that at the rate they were going, his arms were going to snap off like twigs.

Did he mention that he _hated_ Valentine's Day? Well, Natsu would just like to reiterate that.

Somehow the other girls pried him away from Mira's bountiful chest and her strong-as-titanium grip. It might've helped that Juvia was trying to suffocate Mira with a bubble of water around her head, Cana and Lisanna tickling Mira's sides unmercifully, and Ultear and Meredy dragging him across the Guild, though. … Wait. He was now in _their_ diabolical clutches. And heading toward the exit to the Guild, to boot. Natsu didn't want to think about the kinds of naughty things they'd do to him away from all the other girls.

"ENOUGH!"

… Welp. Mira had gone Demon on them, and was now clobbering Cana and Lisanna, and working her way over to Juvia. On second thought, he was probably perfectly safe in the hands of the two girls from Crime Sorciere. Just keep Demon Mira awaaay from him.

"What's going on here?"

Natsu looked over his shoulder to see the last thing he'd wanted to see. Well, maybe not the _absolute_ last. Things could get a shit ton worse if **she** were around. No, standing there at the entrance was Kagura Mikazuchi and Milliana from Mermaid Heel. Natsu was hoping for no more girls, but now he'd have to deal with two more. And one of 'em was just about as good at wielding a sword as **she** was.

Natsu was so screeewed!

 _'Daaamn yooouuu, Miiiraaa!'_ Natsu internally wailed as Kagura and Milliana's eyes got the same sparkly look to them that the other girls' had.

* * *

"Huh. I didn't know Mira roped those girls from Mermaid Heel into this." Laxus rested his chin on his palm as he leaned on the railing, still highly entertained by the show that Natsu was unwittingly putting on.

"She didn't." Makarov muttered as he crossed his arms thoughtfully. "At least as far as I'm aware. For the sake of keeping good relations with the other Guilds, I tried to restrict Mira to only girls from Fairy Tail. I allowed Crime Sorciere since it was a small, independent Guild, but the others should have been off-limits. Those two must be here to see Erza, poor things."

See, that might have sounded regretful if Makarov hadn't let out a lecherous laugh at the end there. Say what you will, but this was high quality, pervy entertainment that they would only be able to catch once in their lifetime. Mira sure as hell wouldn't be attempting it again, and she would know if they did in her place. This was a glooorious day.

"C'mon, Cana! Fight for your man! I want grandbabies!" Gildarts hollered down at her, only to get a table thrown up towards his face for his trouble. Yep. Mira was pissed she had so much competition.

"Well, that escalated quickly." Laxus chuckled as he watched Kagura unsheathe her sword. Shit went down when that happened.

"My poor Guild Hall, forgive me…" Makarov bawled and wept sorrowful tears. As expensive as this would be, it was well worth the entertainment. Both Lisanna and Mira's clothes were getting shredded like Lucy's were on dangerous missions, and the same was starting to happen to Juvia and Cana. Kami willing, the same would happen to that Mikazuchi girl. She had a nice bombshell figure, yes she did.

It was a Catfight of the Millennium. Future pervy old men would _weep_ for having missed out on it; and those already in their graves must have been rolling in them. … Eh, pervy young men, too. Laxus was there, after all.

* * *

The fighting must have gone on for hours. Natsu had a few opportunities to slip away, but he soon found the entrance was guarded by an enchantment that would not let him leave, similar to the one that Freed cast during the Battle of Fairy Tail. So basically, Natsu frantically tried to hide the whole time, and kept getting found by overly affectionate females. Even when trying to escape to the second floor again and again, he was pulled back down and suffocated-by-boobs by Mira.

His clothes were tatters, and he had this wild, twitchy look about him For future reference? Yeah, he was staying _clear_ of the Guild Hall for the Valentine's Days to come. Screw Mira's discounts on food, he was gonna keel over any minute now, and the day was far from over!

And then, like a violent, temperamental, Kami-sent angel, **she** appeared. … No, wait. This was **bad**. Very, very **bad**! **She** wouldn't be in her right mind after seeing him or whatever! No girl was impervious to whatever Mira had done to him!

"What's going on?" Erza thundered as she entered the Guild Hall.

It was in tatters, tables and chairs strewn about (some whole, some in pieces), bits of pillars had been smashed, and there was even some holes in the walls and ceiling. And furthermore, there was fighting going on despite no guys being there from what Erza could see; Lucy, Wendy, Lisanna and Milliana were conked out, but Cana, Juvia, Mira, Kagura, Ultear, and Meredy were still duking it out. And to Erza's flustered bewilderment, they were in various stages of undress; well, moreso than usual because of their shredded clothes.

"These bitches are trying to steal my man!" Mira screeched much like she did in the days of their rivalry. That comment got a frustrated slash from Kagura, which Mira sidestepped with ease.

"Your… man…?" Erza asked, puzzled.

"She wants to take _my_ …" Meredy timidly revised her proclamation at Ultear's frosty glare. "I mean, _our_ hunk of a Dragon Slayer! We will be wedded, have eight adorable pink-haired children, and live at a charming seaside cottage!"

"I thought we agreed there would be twelve children between the three of us, and that we would live in a comfortable cabin in the snowy mountains, so that we could better enjoy his unnatural warmth." Ultear pouted at the pinkette, who only turned her nose up at her 'mother'. It appeared she would need to reminded they would be _sharing_ that loveable Pyro...

Erza, meanwhile, was putting the pieces together from what the two members of Crime Sorciere were saying. Dragon Slayer… Possible pink hair… unnatural warmth…

"You're fighting over _Natsu_?!" Erza yelped at the revelation. It was simply preposterous. _Especially_ with Juvia thrown in there. There was _no way_ that Juvia pined after Natsu, let alone any of these other girls; he just didn't stir up that frothing desire from girls like Loke did. He was dense, reckless, always itching to fight… a pig when it came to food, a total slob, rude, childish, disrespectful… Oh, but he was also carefree, fiercely loyal, always willing to protect his friends… sort of cute, never holds a grudge, so compassionate, always strives to prove himself, kind, and can be so, _so_ considerate.

Dear Kami, Erza needed to make sure Natsu got the girl – nay, the _woman_ he deserved. Even if for whatever bizarre reason these girls were enamored with the Fire Dragon Slayer, the woman that ended up with Natsu had to be calm and collected, _mature_ , capable of keeping him in check, someone who could get him to clean up his manners, and be just as loyal, compassionate, kind, and considerate. Until such a woman rose up, Erza would _protect_ him from all these troublemakers. Natsu deserved only the best!

"Purgatory Armor Requip!" Erza growled out as her eyes glowed red. She grinned wolfishly at the wary glances these girls were throwing her; they were good to at least partly recognize their inferiority. Now Erza just had to deal out ass-kickings en masse until they _fully_ realized it.

* * *

It didn't take long for Erza to beat all the drugged-up fangirls. They'd been going at it for hours, while Erza was fresh and had a variety of armors to take on whatever they had left to dish out. To top it off, she was fighting with a clear mind; she hadn't seen Natsu even once during the brawl, so she wasn't affected by the potion that Mira forced the Dragon Slayer to ingest. Even if she had, however, the 'make other girls lust after you' effect had finally worn off. There was only the affected girls to deal with now, and Erza had done just that.

Now for Natsu.

"Natsu, where are you?! It's over!" Erza called out, only to sweatdrop at the shaky head of pink hair that rose up behind a table that was lying on its side and stared at her incredulously.

"Th-They're done? Not gonna rip my clothes off anymore?" At the shake of her head, Natsu let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Kami… I thought I was gonna die…"

"Why didn't you just run away?" Erza cocked an eyebrow at him curiously. He rarely stuck around the Gild for long on this holiday.

"One of Freed's stupid spells. Mira got me good this year." Natsu deadpanned sourly, still not moving out from behind the table out of fear that Erza _was_ affected, and she was just hiding it really well.

"I figured as much…" Erza sighed breezily before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Wait here, and I'll go get Freed to lift the enchantment…"

"N-No need!" Freed exclaimed fearfully from the entrance to the Guild Hall, having witnessed Erza massacre Mira and the other girls. "Natsu's free to go!"

Erza smirked at eliciting such a reaction from the green-haired mage before turning her head back to Natsu.

"Well, Natsu, you heard him. C'mon, I'll take you home and get you cleaned up."

Natsu hesitantly shook his head at the fiery redhead, staring fearfully at her as he did so.

"I-It's fine! Y-You did more than enough!"

Erza scowled and growled under her breath a little as she strode over to him, tossing the table to the side like it was nothing. Her scowl deepening at the sight of his clothes. At least his scarf was undamaged…

"I _insist_. After everything Mira put us through…"

"She did something to you, too?" Natsu looked up at her suspiciously.

Erza sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She set me up on a date with Jellal, but it was more as friends. He still has a lot of issues to work through."

"Oh." Natsu quietly remarked, before Erza began dragging him off by the scarf. "E-Erza, I can walk!"

Ah, but Erza wasn't listening, having already decided they would spend the rest of the day together, sympathizing with one another's woes. That Demon Mira would have a lot to answer for, but for now… might as well salvage the holiday somehow, right?

And maybe Natsu wouldn't have a completely miserable time, either. Erza was doubtlessly the only girl not falling head over heels for him that day, _and_ she dealt with all the others that did. Plus, he liked hanging out with her whenever she wasn't pissed. If he had the guts, he'd probably ask her to be his girlfriend, if only to get Mira off his back. Buuut he'd likely be a smudge on the wall if he ever tried, so Natsu kept his trap shut for his continued wellbeing.

Poor Natsu… if only he knew he might have more than a snowball's chance in Hell with the fiery redhead.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Read some good Natza/Natsu x harem crackfics recently and had to try it out at least once. XD To clear up the confusion a little, this AU is one where the Tenrou disappearance didn't happen, and might be before the GMG in X791. I just wanted an excuse to write various girls gunning for Natsu in comical fashion; 'cause that's always fun. Did torture Natsu a bit in the process, though.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Prompt Six: Gray goes first in awakening his Second Origin, and Natsu catches a glimpse of the scene between Erza and Jellal at the beach. He leaves without watching the whole thing, and just assumes they'll get together from there. Wandering in his depression, a random Anima Portal opens up and spits out Erza Knightwalker, who seems to be a wee bit on the horny side. Of course, when his Erza does show up and becomes protective of him, Natsu complains about it. Why's he gotta be single and miserable? The whole situation pretty much devolves from there as Scarlet and Knightwalker fight once again, but this time for the love of the Fire Dragon Slayer…**

 **Characters: Natsu, Jellal, Erza Scarlet, Erza Knightwalker**

 **Point-in-Time: X791**

 **Genre: Angst (very slight), Humor, Parody, Romance**

* * *

Natsu kicked a stray pebble as he walked along the forest path. They screwed up in preparing for the Grand Magic Games because they procrastinated too long in training for them. And then Jellal comes along with those two girls and promises to make him and the other members of Fairy Tail stronger by unlocking some 'Second Origin' or somethin'. That crossdresser said the process would be painful, but Natsu didn't care about that! He just needed to not suck to the point that he was having a hard time against _Max_ of all people in a straight-up fight.

Max.

Natsu was all fired up, and then the damn Ice Stripper pushed him aside to be the first one to power up. Of course he friggin' fought back, but… the crossdresser sided with Gray, and Natsu was forced to wait for her to oversee his own powerup. It was tear-your-hair-out frustrating.

"… Do you honestly think Simon would have wanted you to die?" Natsu's ears pricked up as he heard the distant voice of Erza talking to someone. As he was near a cliff overlooking the ocean, Natsu maneuvered on over and saw the crimson-haired knight chatting with Jellal down on a lower level of the cliff face. From the look of it, it seemed like a real intimate moment, but Natsu couldn't help but listen in curiously. "What about your new Guild and all the good you've done through it?! Why can't dedicating your life to fighting the darkness be your atonement?!"

Natsu frowned at the nature of the conversation. He wasn't blind; Erza really loved this guy. Not liked, _loved_. And it was reciprocated from what he observed in passing – Jellal was just too caught up in the past to act on it.

"Because… I don't think it can." Jellal whispered as his hands were clasped together, his face downcast. See? Completely guilt-ridden.

"Why not?!" Erza demanded.

"Don't get me wrong. When I first created Crime Sorciere, I hoped it would bring me peace. But the things I did at the Tower of Heaven can't be made right that easily. Is there really a point to what I'm doing? Will these horrible thoughts ever go away? I feel so lost… Perhaps it's best if I did die…"

Natsu sighed as Erza slapped the azure-haired mage, and she went on to lecture him. It was a great argument, really, but Jellal could be just as stubborn as Erza. He was so overwhelmingly negative that it pissed Natsu off. Natsu would probably stand the guy if he acknowledged his mistakes _and_ moved on, but as he was, Jellal was just gonna keep hurting Erza.

A few moments later, the two childhood friends were rolling down toward the beach, and Natsu stopped watching from there. He knew how this was gonna pan out – they were gonna land in a compromising position, Erza would profess her love for the emo mage, and they'd probably go on to date one another from there, 'cause seriously, that personal moment was a little too perfect for 'simple' friendship.

And honestly, Natsu wasn't all too sure why that bugged him. Well, okay, he _did_ know… Like he said, it was Jellal. Jellal and his stupid emo-ness. Erza shouldn't hafta be the optimistic one all the time, the voice of reason; what happens when a situation looks really bad, and she starts losing hope, too? Jellal wasn't gonna man up and give her comfort! And yet… Erza loved Jellal. This Natsu could not deny. For better or for worse, Jellal was the guy that made Erza happy.

With this in mind, Natsu moved on from the scene with his hands shoved in his pockets and a gloomy air surrounding him. As good of a friend as he was with the red-haired knight, that's all he ever could be. Natsu just wished he could do more for Erza.

* * *

A short time later, Natsu tensed and got in a battle-ready stance as a white distortion in the fabric of reality opened in front of him. He could not prepare himself for what came tumbling out of it. She was scantily clad, had long, flowing red hair, and above all, she looked positively perplexed as she looked up at Natsu from the forest floor.

Well, the Dragon Slayer had no idea what was going on either, so he stared right back with a dumbfounded expression.

"Uh…" Natsu tried to formulate words, any words, but his mouth was failing him. Miserably.

"Dragion? Is that you?" The Erza lookalike asked confusedly. For indeed, even though she looked remarkably similar to the one in a dress he'd seen a short time ago, _this_ Erza looked older. Like, seven years older. And you gotta admit the years were pretty kind to this Erza. She filled out even more, if that was even possible.

 _'Whoa. She's hot.'_ Natsu thought without a trace of shame and a bit of drool leaking from his mouth. Let it not be said that the Fire Dragon Slayer was a completely oblivious moron when it came to the art of appreciating feminine beauty. Natsu Dragneel was not a prude. He couldn't be after growing up in Fairy Tail. It was literally impossible to grow up a prude in that kind of smoking hot environment.

And even if he _didn't_ develop a small pervy side – trust us, he did, it just rarely sees the light of day – a twenty six year old Erza would be enough to turn even a gay man straight. Natsu's brain was malfunctioning as it tried to process the goddess of beauty that laid out on the ground there provocatively in front of him. Steam was coming off of his cheeks and out of his ears as his brain continued to short-circuit; until finally, Natsu collapsed backwards with a frothing mouth and a gusher of a bloody nose.

Erza Knightwalker, meanwhile, just sat there tilting her head in confusion. The man in front of her couldn't be Dragion, because he seemed to be functioning just fine without his precious Fireball, so that really left only one alternative. Her precious hubby-wubby (well… boyfriend, to be precise) had sent her off to Earthland because she was a wee bit on the horny side. It wasn't her fault, really! She didn't even think he could carry out his threats of trying to make her stop!

* * *

"H-How could you, King Jellal, sir?!" A lowly servant stood there with his jaw touching the floor as he stared at his Lord, who was walking off while whistling innocently. Like he'd done nothing wrong.

"Well, that portal was sitting there, just waiting for some poor sap to wind up in Earthland. I thought it best to use it _constructively_."

"B-But…! How will Captain Knightwalker make it back?! A few _Reverse_ Anima exist here and there, but the people in Earthland can't send our people back!" The servant protested. "And what about your Earthland counterpart?! Now he will have two of the same woman pining after him!"

"Meh, not my problem."

* * *

Yeah, her precious hubby-wubby could be pretty cold at times. It made her seriously question what she saw in her liege, but then again, he _did_ have roguishly good looks. The only man who rivaled the King in that department was that very same driver she initially assumed the passed out pink-headed man in front of her to be. Now, if Dragion could just function normally without being in the driver's seat, Knightwalker would probably be gunning for him instead, because at least Dragion had personality to go with the looks.

Come to think of it… she was stuck in Earthland for the foreseeable future, wasn't she? Dragion's counterpart – Dragneel, if she recalls correctly? – might not be an exact copy of her Natsu, but something that Scarlet said back to her in Edolas rang through her mind. They might have opposite quirks, but when you get right down to it, they're both fundamentally the same person. In that light… maybe being stranded on Earthland wasn't such a bad thing. Natsu Dragneel could be everything she wished that Natsu Dragion could be; there was the slight downside of his motion sickness, but that was heavily overshadowed by the fact that he could function _anywhere and everywhere else_.

"You look like you haven't aged a day," Knightwalker mused as she crawled over to him and cuddled him experimentally. She gave a healthy blush when she realized he was emitting a comfortable heat even while he was unconscious. Oh, Knightwalker could get used to this. Winters would be delightful, and going to bed each night… Knightwalker let out a squeal just thinking about it. He even passed out upon seeing her, so Knightwalker would never feel unappreciated or inadequate. She then deadpanned, "You'd better be single."

Knightwalker scowled at the thought of some immature _girl_ thinking herself worthy of her beloved Natshu's love. That's right, not even five minutes in his presence, and the former Fairy Hunter was already addressing him by a pet name and staking her claim. Because Natsu Dragneel was _her_ man, and woe be to _anyone_ who tries to obstruct the path to True Love.

* * *

Sometime later after night had long since fallen, Erza Scarlet went out in search of the Fire Dragon Slayer who had yet to return to camp. It wasn't like him to go be by himself for so long; not even Happy knew where he was. She was starting to get worried.

… In truth, Erza was probably better off not knowing what had happened to her friend, but the redhead was about to find that out for herself. Because pretty soon she located a campfire amidst the forest, and there were some distinctly sensual and not-at-all innocent noises coming from that location. When she drew closer, Erza's eyes bugged out and her jaw slacked as she saw Natsu without his vest on and being pinned to a tree by someone that looked vaguely familiar… Oh, and the bitch was down to her bra and panties. _That_ was the detail her mind clung to as she watched the heavy petting session in horror.

Because Natsu did _not_ look to be resisting this woman's advances! He was _willingly_ allowing this hussy to touch him all over! This… This… Erza couldn't even find the words to describe what an outrage this was. This bitch had obviously seduced her poor, sweet, innocent Natsu. **Unacceptable**! To date her Natsu, a woman had to pass _her_ inspection, and this bitch had just failed that inspection **epically**!

"Knightwalker! What are you doing here?! All of the Anima are supposed to have been closed!" …That was her name. Knightwalker. Erza scowled at her alternate world counterpart. She secured a chain around the waist of the horny redhead that was… was… _molesting_ Natsu, and wrestled with keeping her _away_ from her teammate and friend.

"I don't know, and I couldn't care less." Knightwalker drooled as she stared at Natsu's barren chest. She reached out and made groping motions with her hands, and Natsu similarly reached out to her yearningly. "I just know Natshu here was depressed and lonely; he's hot, I'm hot, so we're making out!"

Scarlet blushed fiercely at her twin's bluntness. _Of course_ she could tell that much… and she wasn't sure why, but it was pissing her the hell off that Knightwalker was making out with her Natsu (no, Erza was not yet aware she was making any sort of claim on the Dragon Slayer). Scarlet chalked it up to Natsu being like her little brother, and it wasn't right for some… some _tramp_ to take his virginity. Yup. That was the story and she was sticking to it.

Never mind the tiny, barely noticeable fantasy floating around her mind at the sight of Natsu's bare chest… A fantasy that featured _her_ and Natsu doing… Oh my. Nope, nope, nope. Not thinking like that.

The sad thing is, Erza's eyes glazed over as her mind indeed went there. And this gave Knightwalker an opportunity to slip out of Erza's grip and go back to straddling the adorable Dragon Slayer, who was whining about the loss of her warmth. It felt so nice to be needed… And Knightwalker would be returning all of Natsu's love a hundredfold for being so sweet and caring ever since her abrupt arrival.

It was around the time they were engaging in a French kiss that Erza recovered enough to emit a guttural growl and pull Knightwalker away once again.

"I told you to _back off_ , Knightwalker…!" Erza bared her teeth and yanked on the chain with a little more gusto than 'necessary'. "You don't have to go home, but you aren't welcome here!"

Knightwalker pouted at that remark… as well as being pulled from her new hubby-wubby again. Figures that the immature girl secretly pining after her Natshu was a younger version of herself.

"I don't see what the big deal is. You were getting it on with your version of King Jellal, right? Well, that left my Natshu all depressed and lonely, so we were both really lucky that I came along to comfort him! You can keep your emo hottie, and in return I get the real catch that is Natshu Dragneel! Everybody wins!"

"…" Erza was at a loss for words as she stood there twitching, mouth still agape, frozen in her efforts of pulling Knightwalker away from the Dragon Slayer. "Say _what_?!"

… Well, pretty quickly she found some words to describe how she felt about Knightwalker's explanation. Even if they only totaled two. It was just like that time when her Natsu's competitive spirit got in the way of treating the mission to defeat Oracion Seis seriously. It was just so ludicrous that it couldn't possibly be true!

"He _saw_ you, Scarlet! You were having a heartfelt chat with the blue-haired bastard, and then you rolled down the hill with him! My Natshu didn't need to see any more than that, so he left you two to your sexy-sexy time!" Knightwalker tried to shimmy out of the chain around her waist. "Now _you_ just leave _us_ to our sexy-sexy time, and we'll call it even!"

Erza paled as her twin brought that up. _That's_ what her Natsu saw?! Oh Kami, he had the wrong idea… Maybe there was a part of her that _wanted_ that moment to go the romantic route, but that was just hormones, she swears! She had her hands full taking care of everybody at Fairy Tail, including Natsu – _especially_ Natsu – and her duties as an S-Class mage to pursue a romantic relationship! It just wasn't in the cards for her for the foreseeable future!

"Nononono… Natsu, it wasn't what you thought!" Erza screeched, voice aghast. To her horror, Natsu just shook his head sadly at her.

"It's okay, Erza. You 'n Jellal have more of a history anyway, so it's like you were made for… GWAH!" Natsu suddenly yelped as Erza took ahold of him by the shoulders and shook him like hell. She'd cast Knightwalker off to the side vigorously so that it was just the two of them.

"Why didn't you tell me?! Jellal and I aren't an item, not now, not ever!" Erza heatedly insisted in that special Erza way.

Natsu, now discombobulated from all the rigorous, rapid shaking and Erza's claim, tried to calm Erza down… and not get motion sickness while he was at it.

"B-But… I saw you guys…"

"He has a fiancée! I'm still _single_ , Natsu!" Somewhere in the back of her mind, Erza wondered why that mattered here. Yet a larger part of her was wholly unconcerned about why's and deeper thinking. Knightwalker was at least right about one thing – Natsu was hurting because he thought she and Jellal were a thing; therefore, the most logical thing to do was correct that misconception!

"…" Natsu wasn't sure how to respond to that. Partly because it sounded like a load of crock. Mostly because his motion sickness was acting up now. He was getting green in the face, and only belatedly was Erza realizing it was because she was still shaking him down possessively.

A chain suddenly wrapped itself around Erza, making her arms go flush against her sides. And if that weren't enough, Knightwalker leaped down from the tree directly over them, thus hoisting Erza up in the air and leaving her dangling.

"Don't worry, my poor Natshu! I'll save you from that inconsiderate harpy!" She took Natsu's dazed state as one of gratitude before hefting the Dragon Slayer over her shoulder and making off with him. She chirped, "We will still have our sexy-sexy time!"

Needless to say, this pissed Erza off as she struggled against the chains hoisting her up like a piñata. Chains that she had used to restrain Knightwalker earlier. That _bitch_ …!

"Knightwalker, when I get my hands on you…!" The redheaded knight growled before Requipping into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She then had a blade materialize to sever the chain from the tree before flying after her twin with a vengeance.

Ohohoho, when she caught up to Knightwalker, she would pay… Oh yes, she would _pay_ …

* * *

The slaughter was quick, efficient, and above all, cruel and unusual. Knightwalker might've been a fine warrior, but without her Magical weaponry, she could not offer up much of fight against the mighty Titania. In the end, Erza ended up dumping her unconscious Edolas counterpart next to the slumbering Gray, who was down to his boxers. Didn't matter who would wake up first in the morning; once one was up, the other would be soon after, and then Juvia would get involved.

So you see, Erza quickly and efficiently knocked Knightwalker out. Then, she dumped her counterpart in what would be a very awkward situation that would stir up Juvia's jealousy and fiery temper – therefore, cruel and unusual. And no, Erza felt not a hint of remorse for her actions. The punishment fit the crime.

"What was that about?" Natsu asked as Erza came to rest over by his corner of the cave that night. 'Cause that's where everyone else was camping out – a cave. He literally had no idea why either scarlet-haired mage was acting so weird that night…

Well, okay. Knightwalker just wanted to have some sexy-sexy time, and Natsu, proud straight man that he was, could not refuse such a ravenous beauty that was an older version of Erza. Giggity.

But Erza? Hmm.

The redheaded knight took some time in replying to Natsu's question, not entirely sure herself. She knew ultimately the truth lied in her feelings of protectiveness for the Dragon Slayer. Erza wasn't sure why, but seeing her now-older Edolas counterpart all over the pink-headed mage like a dog in heat… it stirred up something primal in the redheaded knight. A righteous anger she very rarely got worked up to; even when Jellal was talking about just giving up, that couldn't hold a candle to seeing Natsu…

No, no, no. She wasn't going to dwell on that anymore. Erza didn't know why she got so worked up, but she punished the wrongdoer with appropriate force, and Natsu was… safe… That's all that mattered.

"Yooo, earth to Erza…" Natsu waved a hand in front of her face, successfully snapping Erza out of her ruminations. He flashed her a reassuring grin when he knew he had her attention. "It's fine if you don't wanna talk about it, I'm just totally lost at why you flipped out like that. If ya ever wanna talk about it, just let me know. I'm gonna hit the hay now 'cause it's late, so… G'night."

Natsu froze when Erza's hand abruptly reached out to his shoulder before he could lie down on the stone floor. He almost expected to get hurt for whatever bizarre reason, but there was a certain softness to her eyes that he couldn't look away from. For Erza, she seemed struck by an eye-opening revelation.

Natsu was always there for her. Of course Erza had known that, but there was another aspect to it that she'd never really considered. She wanted to return the favor. She didn't want some girl to steal Natsu's heart and then later on throw it away because he was 'simpleminded', or 'only good for sex'. There was a lot more to Natsu Dragneel! He deserved a woman that loved him unconditionally; that could be firm with him, stand beside him as an equal, and work with him through his ill-manners.

Maybe Knightwalker had genuine feelings for her Natsu, but from where Erza was standing, it looked an awful lot like lust instead of love.

"Natsu… I… I don't know what you felt toward Knightwalker, b-but… I think you deserve someone who loves you, and not someone who lusts after you." Erza averted her eyes and removed her hand from his shoulder while biting her lower lip. "I know I shouldn't be so controlling, but I… I care a lot about you… You're always there for me, and I just… I want to be there for you, too…"

Erza wasn't too sure what to say from here, so she went quiet and didn't look back up at the Dragon Slayer, nervous of what he might have to say in response. She tensed when he pulled her in for a hug, but slowly eased into it as he spoke.

"I guess I had the opposite problem!" He admitted somewhat sheepishly, massaging her upper back. "I just want you happy, Erza. I have absolutely no say in who ya like, so when I saw you and Jellal down there, I figured you'd made your choice and I was just gonna let you be. Personally, I think you need someone who can lift your spirits when times are tough; maybe Jellal could do that if he tried, but the thing was that he seemed like such a downer when I was listenin' in. But if he made you happy, I had no right gettin' in your way. If you still wanna go for him, I'll support ya every step of the way."

Erza hugged Natsu tight as he said this, a few tears spilling forth from her eyes. In this moment, the redhead realized why she was so protective of the Dragon Slayer. He wasn't just a teammate or a friend; he was her best friend. A man who held a very special place in her heart. Maybe she would always harbor some form of feelings for the blue-haired mage that had turned his life around, but Natsu… Natsu was practically indescribable when it came to the importance he held in her life. Whereas Jellal had taken her friends and used them against her, Natsu was there to fill the void in her heart _and_ help put the past to rest. Whereas Jellal was resigned to die in order to atone for the sins of the past, Natsu was determined to live and support his friends. With Jellal, Erza would have to be the constant source of light in a dim situation; but with Natsu, it would be more akin to them being there for one another regardless of the situation.

Jellal and Natsu were complete opposites, like night and day. And while she would always be grateful to Jellal for igniting her passionate fighting spirit, Erza could not deny hardships and their tragic past had warped him from the boy she once knew. He was close now to what he was before, but that would be like comparing a broken plate to its original state. You might be able to glue the pieces back together, but there will still be cracks and indications that the plate had once been broken; it isn't exactly as it was before.

But Natsu… Natsu might have stumbled over the years, yet he always managed to pick himself up somehow, whether he had friends at his side at the time or not. In a way, Natsu somehow overturned the 'broken plate' analogy, no matter how impossible that sounded. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Natsu's bright outlook on life made you want to have such an outlook as well; it distracted from the 'cracks' that formed from the pains of his past. He was so selfless, putting the wellbeing of others before his own… even _her_ … And for that reason…

"I love you, you idiot." Erza smiled gently as she felt him stiffen in her arms. She pulled back just enough to stare into his eyes and convey her heart. "I had no idea why I was so angry with Knightwalker… but now it makes sense. I love you, Natsu."

Natsu stared at the redhead in shock and disbelief for several moments.

 _'Erza… loves… me…?'_ Natsu slowly processed the confession. Love definitely wasn't somethin' he was extremely knowledgeable about, but what he did know… was that it wasn't something declared lightly. Well… in most cases, anyway. Love can often be mistaken for lust, and yet Erza clearly knew the difference.

The point is, Erza sounded so certain… And he wouldn't be able to make her second-guess those feelings because of that. Erza could be just as hardheaded as him. The question here was, did he feel the same? 'Course he cared for her as a member of Fairy Tail and as a teammate and friend, but could he go so far and say that he _loved_ her?

 _'… Yeah, I do.'_ Natsu thought quietly as he closed his eyes briefly. It wasn't that hard to figure out Erza was really important to him; much of his power came from feelings! Natsu wasn't smart when it came to textbook stuff or even life stuff like love, but at least he could sort through his own feelings. If he didn't have feelings beyond friendship for the redheaded knight, he'd eat his own flames.

… Which, you know, would be bad.

"I love you, too." Natsu finally said while reopening his eyes. He knew he'd kept her waiting for a bit, but she seemed to be patient with him, for all his faults. With a sheepish grin, he added. "Wouldn't have been willing to let ya be with Jellal otherwise, right? If you really love someone…"

Natsu blushed as Erza put a pointer finger to his lips, instantly shushing him.

"I wish you'd taken a little more initiative… but it'll do for now. Just know I'm not letting you back out." Erza told him with a wry smile and a wink before cupping his chin and leaning in for a kiss on the lips. Frankly, she wasn't expecting anything spectacular yet; Natsu wasn't exactly romantic, so he had no reason to read ero… ahem. Novels. He wouldn't have reason to read romantic novels.

So imagine her surprise when he eagerly accepted her lips, and wasn't doing a half bad job of returning the kiss. Oh, he was awkward and fumbled around a little, but she helped guide him and helped slow the moment down. There was no rush, even if it was late and they were both tired. When they did break up the kiss eventually because of that, Natsu hugged her once more, yawning just a little as he did so.

"Still say if you love someone else, 'm gonna let ya pursue 'em…" He then collapsed on his back out of exhaustion before snoring away.

Erza sighed tiredly with a smile on her face as she looked down at the Dragon Slayer. Always so considerate. She told him Jellal and her would never, ever be a thing, and she'd prove it to him.

 _'There will never be anyone else, idiot…'_ Erza calmly thought to herself, stroking his pink hair affectionately before lying down beside him and cuddling him.

Erza Scarlet loved Natsu Dragneel, and she wasn't letting him go for anyone. Not for Jellal. Not for Knightwalker. Come to think of it, there was still that little problem of returning that bit… er… her twin back to Edolas before she had her horny way with her Natsu. But that could wait for another day…

* * *

 **Author's Note: I meant for this to be pure humor/crack, and a one-shot to boot, but it wound up having some introspectiveness added in and basically another 'first kiss' scene… It's so fluffy. Bahahaha. XD**

 **This one might be continued later, depends on what comes to me. I like the idea of mass panic caused by having two Erza's coexisting in the same universe. Sounds** _ **fun**_ **… XD Hope you enjoyed.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Prompt Seven: The fight with the Alvarez Empire is over. Everyone seems to have found a lifelong partner… except for a certain Fire Dragon Slayer. Mira takes it upon herself to find out what makes Natsu tick, if he's interested in any girl, all of that good stuff. She never anticipated she would** _ **enjoy**_ **the Dragon Slayer's company, or that her machinations would bring about a jealous knight… Well, 'jealous' might be a strong word. Or 'jealous' might be putting it lightly… Either way, Erza sure as hell doesn't know why she's so bothered by Natsu going out with anyone.**

 **Characters: Natsu, Mira, Erza**

 **Point-in-Time: Post-Alvarez Empire Arc**

 **Genre: Romance, Humor, Parody**

* * *

 _'Everyone looks so happy.'_ Mira giggled to herself as she looked out at the lively Guild Hall. Things had certainly calmed down after Zeref and his empire was defeated.

Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that there was more time for everyone to relax and just be themselves. Because really, there was still daily Fairy Tail brawls. People still enthusiastic about taking missions. People still determined to make S-Class. So no, things hadn't calmed down in _that_ regard, but now there was only minor Dark Guilds to worry about every now and then. They were a disorderly bunch without the Balam Alliance to hold them together; a bunch of grouchy people aiming to take over the world in their own little ways, but all in all, little to no trouble.

 _'More importantly, everyone's been bitten by the love bug!'_ Mira thought with a grin on her face as she surveyed the various couples sitting together. Elfman and Evergreen. Cobra and Kinana (yes, the Poison Dragon Slayer decided to join up since he had 'nothing better to do'). Gray and Juvia. Bisca and Alzack. Gajeel and Levy. Wendy and Romeo (more as friends, but hey, it could progress into something more, right?). Happy and Carla (… Again, friends, but Carla didn't seem to _detest_ his company). Laxus and Cana (from what Mira understood, this was tentative and not permanent; they were only testing the waters). Jellal and Erza…

Well, that last pair was currently away on what Mira presumed to be a date (Erza said it was official Council business, but Mira could read between the lines). Jellal wasn't a member of the Guild; rather, he became a member of the newly instated Council along with Meredy. Erza was their Guild Master again with Makarov, sadly, gone; so their frequent dealings with one another due to Fairy Tail's mischief weren't so farfetched. They made such a cute couple!

There were some notable exceptions that hadn't quite paired off with anyone… Lisanna, who wanted to wait a little bit more before actively pursuing any guy. Lucy… Well, she _loved_ someone, but her insecurities about that certain someone's feelings about her kept her from outright confessing. Mira herself… Much more fun pairing everyone off and helping their relationships along. Natsu…

… Natsu. Natsu-Natsu-Natsu. It's funny that sometimes, regardless of how many years you've gotten to know a person… you don't really _know_ them. Y'know? Mira had pegged the Fire Dragon Slayer as the naïve, bottomless stomach, fiery, adventurous type that would in all likelihood 'never grow up'. Not unlike Gildarts, who Natsu looked up to as a role model and sorta-father-figure.

And then the knucklehead overturned her assumptions. Again and again as the years went by. Oh, he remained the same at his core; sometimes those 'mature' moments were just that, moments. Nothing really seemed capable of taming the dragon (or Dragon Slayer, in this case). Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart, the Grand Magic Games, and everything in-between… Nothing could keep Natsu from bouncing back with a grin on his face.

And then the war with Tartaros happened and, well… That was just the first sign of things to come. Fairy Tail disbanded, Natsu went off to train… Everyone came back together, mind you, but it wasn't without some noticeable scars and signs of maturity. And then the war with Zeref and his empire happened, leaving Natsu in a complex state of maturity and his old childishness. It really left Mira curious why he hadn't pursued any girl in the months since that time. He always talked about having a family of his own someday; why not make his move now, while he was young and everything was peaceful for the foreseeable future?

Mira was going to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

"It's not that I don't wanna have a family anymore," Natsu muttered as he fidgeted with his scarf a little. Mira had brought him to the storage room, away from curious prying eyes and ears. "I just don't… y'know… I'm not very romantic. Let's leave it at that."

"So you're saying you lack experience and wouldn't be able to impress your crush." Mira mused thoughtfully, getting Natsu to splutter in embarrassment.

"I-IMPRESS?! Wh-Who said I even _like_ a girl?!" Natsu twitched as the barmaid nodded decisively, as if that confirmed something or other.

"Yep. You're too flustered to ask her out. 'Cause you're not Gray or Loke; you're a slob, a packrat, and a dunce. That's how you feel, riiight…?" Mira chirped with a mischievous smile.

Natsu just deflated as Mira insisted on this theory. Why'd Fairy Tail's resident Cupid hafta get hung up on him? … Oh, yeah. He was still single.

"Can't you just drop it, Mira…? I don't need advice or anything." Natsu grumbled, to which she gave tinkling laughter.

"Of course you do, silly Dragon Slayer! You need to be given a lecture on manners, anyway!"

At the mention of 'lesson', Natsu twitched violently.

"Will it… hurt…?"

"Only if you don't make steady progress!" Mira chirped, much to the Fire Dragon Slayer's dismay. "Your final exam will be a practice date with yours truly!"

Natsu slammed his head back into a crate and groaned. Yup. This was gonna smart like _hell_. Just like Erza's 'vocabulary lesson' back in the day. Great.

* * *

It was late in the day when Erza got back. She needed a stiff drink… or for Natsu and Gray to give her a reason to blow off some steam. That would be nice.

However…

"Where's Mira?" The redhead asked as she approached the bar counter, which Lisanna was minding in her elder sister's absence.

"Oh, you missed out! Sis was all over Natsu today, making him keep his back straight, making him eat slower, all sorts of stuff!" Lisanna giggled at the memory. "I think they even went and cleaned Natsu's home at one point."

Erza, too, smiled at the notion of Mira doing all of that. She'd been meaning to get around to dishing out a lesson in manners to Natsu herself… But Guild Master duties kept her pretty busy. She didn't have so much free time anymore; how'd Makarov make it look so easy?

"So that's where they are now, then?"

Lisanna shook her head, a thoughtful frown on her face.

"No… They came back a couple of hours ago after doing that. Well, Mira did. Then about an hour ago, Mira announced she would be going out for a few hours, and to 'not wait up for her'."

"O… k…" Erza trailed off uncertainly, not sure what to make of that bit of information. Deciding to switch gears, the scarlet knight asked curiously, "Do you know if Natsu is still at home, then…?"

Lisanna opened her mouth to reply, but Happy floated up to the bar counter next to the two ladies.

"Nope. He was moaning all day about Mira taking him on a date tonight! He said it was going to cut majorly into our food budget, 'cause he'd need to buy nice clothes, flowers, take her to a fancy restaurant, stuff like that! But I want fiiish!"

"Oh, yeah. He did say something like that, didn't he?" Lisanna mused. Both silver-haired barmaid and blue tomcat ignorant to the twitchy redhead that had slowly tuned them out after 'Natsu', 'Mira', and 'date' registered in her brain. Steam was now coming out of the redhead's ears.

 **Warning! Error! Error! Erza has become unresponsive!**

 **Unknown file has been detected in the system. Program 'She said what?' has been found. File 'Natsu, where is he?' has been corrupted. File 'Poor Natsu's innocence' has found a bug.**

 **Brain activity at 91%.**

 **Files corrupted and bug detected. Begin reboot.**

 **Shutting down. . .**

 **Saving user settings. . .**

"Do you think this date will result in looove?" Happy batted his eyes cutely, to which Lisanna giggled and shook her head. Gray and Juvia walked up as the blue cat posed this question.

"Natsu? Love? Don't make me laugh." Gray remarked casually. "Flamebrain's too stupid for that kinda stuff. Even with Mira holding his hand, none of it's gonna stick!"

"Oh, I don't know…" Juvia slyly smirked and nuzzled up against him. "I think Natsu would be able to get the _physical_ stuff down!"

Everyone who was consciously aware blushed fiercely at Juvia's… hinting. Even Gray became a stuttering mess.

"Th-That idiot w-wouldn't even know w-what to d-do with it!" Gray protested, but only received laughs from Lisanna and Juvia in turn. But damn it if Flamebrain actually beat him to _that_!

"Erza… you okay?" Lisanna asked out of concern for the redhead who had been unresponsive for a while now. Her head was dipped, her hair overshadowing her eyes.

 **System files back online.**

 **Loading System Functions. . .**

 **Loading User Settings. . .**

 **Brain Activity back to 95.6%.**

 **Hormones. . . slightly unstable. Possibly erratic.**

 **Bugs and Corrupted files have been purged. Following files have been cleaned, 'Natsu, where is he?' and 'Poor Natsu's innocence'.**

 **System User check done.**

 **Mira must be Punished!**

"Happy, did Natsu say where they would be going, by any chance?" Erza lifted her head and smiled sweetly at the Exceed. A little too sweetly.

Needless to say, the scarlet knight's attitude perplexed the humans present. Happy, of course, remained oblivious to the potential shitstorm coming his best buddy's way, and dutifully answered the knight's query.

"Natsu didn't, but Lucy might know! Mira was talking with her before she left!"

The blonde glared acidly at the little tomcat of a traitor. She didn't want any part in this! And yet… when Erza's pupil-less, soulless stare mechanically turned toward her, Lucy desperately wished she could sink into the floor right then and there and just disappear… She knew she would have to spill everything she knew, but that didn't exactly make it any easier. Mira was gonna kick her ass for squealing, but what was she supposed to do?! No one denied Erza anything, even when she wasn't the Guild Master!

"Well, um, this is just what Mira told me, but…"

* * *

"See, Natsu? That wasn't so bad!" Mira patted his back consolingly as she walked the Dragon Slayer home. The silver-haired barmaid even gave him a provocative wink. "We might have to go on a second date sometime! I certainly enjoyed myself!"

Natsu grinned nervously as they neared the sign for his and Happy's home. His face was about as red as Erza's hair, and he was all clammy while his heart raced. Yeah. They could go on another in about a hundred million years… Mira outlined clearly and concisely _exactly_ what would happen to him if the date was anything less than perfect. Not only would they be forced to repeat the practice date, but Mira would punish him by making him do **that** …

And here the Fire Dragon Slayer was optimistically thinking that form of punishment had died with Gramps. That there was only a bright future ahead of them… He'd never been so wrong.

"W-Well, we're here!" Natsu's voice sounded strangely upbeat… and somewhat forced and strained. They were now standing at the doorstep to his home, and there was _no way_ he'd be inviting her in to torture him into the night… "G-Glad you had fun, Mira! I really gotta go take a shower now!"

Natsu hastily opened his door and ran in place as Mira grabbed him by the scarf firmly. Yes, even in a tux, Natsu was wearing his scarf. The Dragon Slayer whimpered as the barmaid turned him around and scowled at him cutely.

"You haven't forgotten about the most important part of all, have you, Natsu…?"

The pink-headed young man's eyes widened at that rhetorical query.

"Y-You were _serious_ about that?!" When he received short, stiff nods in return, the Dragon Slayer screamed internally. 'If the date goes really well, you're supposed to give your lover a good-night kiss.' Mira _wanted_ that?!

Sighing at Natsu's clearly aghast face, Mira decided to put him out of his misery and initiate the kiss herself. She _was_ the one that walked him home in this practice run, anyway; best to set an example and demonstrate everything he needed to do in her position. His horror-stricken face was kinda cute… in a way…

Natsu screwed his eyes shut tight as Mira leaned forward with parted lips. This was _waaay_ out of his comfort zone, not to mention his first kiss. While he didn't overvalue that kind of thing like girls did, he kinda wanted the power to choose, y'know? It wasn't like Mira was _bad_ or anything… It's just she was like an older sister to him. He wasn't into incest, y'know?

As Natsu steeled himself for the fluffy pillows to come (… Whoa. Where'd that come from?), he was shell-shocked when he felt something like a train. A train that rammed into his whole face, and not just his lips. If the high-pitched startled yelp across from him was any indication, he wasn't the only one who experienced the abrupt phenomenon.

"What do you two think you're doing?!" A voice that Natsu hoped to not hear that night (or anytime soon) hissed from within his home.

"Owww! That really hurt, Erza!" Mira whined while Natsu had another nervous breakdown. "I should be asking _you_ what's the big idea! You wanna go like the old days, Red?!"

Natsu tensed as he heard the distinct sound of cracking knuckles. Metal-covered knuckles. And as he reopened his eyes and saw the frightening presence of Erza Scarlet standing in his doorway, with an imposing aura exuding from her, he knew right then…

 _'I need to get out of here…!'_ The Dragon Slayer yelped and repeatedly bowed in apology to the scarlet knight, on his knees and everything. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It was a practice date! Mira made me do it! Please don't hurt me!"

Natsu then tried to make a break for it, but similar to how Mira caught him earlier… Erza got ahold of his scarf and dragged him until he was within the doorway with her. Then she 'lightly' pushed him behind her (read: he ended up smacking into a wall from the force applied).

"Natsu. You stay here. I have no doubt you are innocent in all of this, so you will be spared punishment." The redhead eccentrically ignored his whining of 'already' being punished. Fixing her stern glare on the silver-haired barmaid, she growled out, "I do not recall giving you permission to steal Natsu's first kiss, Mira… Or taking him out on a date, for that matter. "

Mira scoffed at her rival's possessiveness, far too used to Erza's imposing nature developed over the years.

"I don't recall needing it, _mom_." Mira scowled moodily. "Don't you have a Councilman you should be sucking face with?! If I wanna smooch that hunk of a Dragon Slayer, I'll damn well tear his clothes off while doing it!"

Both women froze as they registered that heated comment; their faces were now redder than Erza's hair. Yes, that was somehow possible. Mira was shocked that on some level she actually meant what she said – even if she had to guide him through the rituals and whatnot, Natsu had… somehow… wormed his way into her heart until he was boyfriend material. They'd known each other for years, so it wasn't that farfetched. Natsu was far from the worst guy she could be dating, and he even helped bring Lisanna back from that Edolas place! So yeah, she was perfectly fine with admitting to her growing feelings toward the Dragon Slayer!

Erza, on the other hand…

 _'How lewd and inappropriate…! This is precisely the kind of girl that Natsu should_ not _date! Look at her with that perverted lust-filled gaze… like Natsu's some slab of meat… Grr…'_ Erza growled outwardly, too. She Requipped two swords into her hands. _'No one's dating Natsu without my express permission… He wouldn't have the first clue of how deep and complex a relationship can be! Mira probably filled him in on all the formal and_ perverted _aspects, but he must learn that there's_ so _much more to it… Natsu's too adorable and wonderful for someone like Mira to sink her claws into!'_

… Had no idea why she was getting so worked up over all of this. To her, Natsu was a dear friend that deserved only the best – someone he could trust implicitly and without fail. Someone that could pull him back from doing anything rash, like that one time not too long ago when he went berserk with those demonic powers… Who was it that succeeded in bringing him back to normal? That's right, not Mira. Not Lucy, who Erza _slightly_ sympathized with, as Natsu didn't seem to have an inkling of her feelings toward him. But not to the point that Erza would hand Natsu off to the blonde, heavens no. Lucy was a respected Fairy Tail Wizard, but she wasn't who Natsu _needed_ …

So, until then! Erza would be taking care of Natsu, looking out for his best interests. And Natsu _clearly_ didn't want to be with Mira in _that_ way. Erza had completely disregarded the first part of Mira's accusation in favor of the heated, passionate proclamation about making out with Natsu…

Jellal who?

Natsu sweatdropped and whimpered as Erza slammed his front door closed with the intention of shielding him from the impending conflict. At this rate he was gonna need a new front lawn, as well as a new porch. … Hopefully not a whole new house, because he'd recently gotten used to living in this one again after the last war.

Why were they fighting over him, anyway? Mira was just showing him the ropes with dating, right? Erza didn't need to get all defensive on his part, even if he was uncomfortable. Thinking about it, Natsu felt bad about it all, 'cause Erza could be spending the evening with Jellal. Instead, she was here, having a pointless fight with Mira over a misunderstanding… Er… Hopefully. Despite his bewilderment, he did catch what Mira said, and it made him blush the same red as the girls.

Damn it, why'd he get all swept up in this?! He just wanted to be on another S-Class Quest already! Erza made him S-Class, so he wasn't barred from 'em anymore whatsoever!

* * *

Well, the battle _was_ fierce. It even drifted from Natsu's home into the woods all around and lasted for _hours_. Sadly, at least half of Natsu's home got wrecked; it was all but inevitable with how determined the two women were going at each other. Poor Natsu was too scared to move from his initial spot, so he stayed rooted in place until either woman came back and did whatever they wanted; at this point, Natsu just didn't care. Natsu just wanted to sleep and get on with repairing his house in the morning.

He must've nodded off at some point, because sometime later he woke up with his arms draped around Erza's bare shoulders as she carried him through the woods. She was in those red pants and bandages around her chest that she wore when she was pretty much exhausted of Magical Power. Kinda weird for her to be pushed to this point, but her opponent _was_ Mira, in her defense.

"Sorry I took so long. And I'm sorry we wrecked your house like that…" Erza apologized to the Dragon Slayer as she felt him stir. Natsu simply moaned in response and buried his face in her flowing hair.

"Forget about it. Just punish me or whatever and let me sleep.. 'm sorry for upsetting you, Master…"

Erza flushed at the title.

"I told you, don't call me that!" The redhead mumbled with a small smile. She would never admit it, but Natsu was like the one person exempt from that custom, even in official settings… And Erza really wasn't sure why. "And I'm not going to punish you. I just… I didn't want you to be sleeping out there with your house in that state. It isn't fair to you."

"Mmm." Natsu grunted tiredly. "So where're you dumping me? Lucy's place? The Guild?"

"Nothing so careless! You'll be staying with me until your home is repaired."

"… Isn't that place a guy-free zone or somethin'?"

"There will be a special exception for you, in this and future cases."

"You sure make a lot of 'exceptions' for me… Makes me feel like a burden."

Erza blushed again at the Dragon Slayer's analysis. Okay, so _maybe_ she was surprisingly more lenient with him than with anyone else, but it wasn't _that_ surprising, was it? Obviously she allowed him and Gray freedom in the past, or they wouldn't have been fighting so often. There was nothing wrong with having a close friend who will interact with you normally in spite of your position. Right?!

"Well, you don't make it very hard… You're very important to me, Natsu." The scarlet knight revealed without shame. Frankly, she was too exhausted to mince her words right that second.

"… 're important to me, too. Thanks fer knocking sense back into me back then… and, well… everythin'…"

Though Erza could tell Natsu was increasingly getting sleepy with his answers, she couldn't help but try to keep the conversation going. Maybe she'd finally get to the bottom of these possessive, protective feelings that she had for the Dragon Slayer.

"Say, Natsu… Why did Mira do all of that with you today?" It was unusual for the silver-haired barmaid to get so worked up. Same for the scarlet knight, really.

Natsu took a few moments to respond, if only because he was close to nodding off.

"'Cause Mira got it into her head that I liiike some girl… Y'know how she gets about love and all that stuff…"

Erza smiled wryly. Yes, yes she did… Tonight was a keen reminder of 'how she could get'.

"So… do yo…?" She growled slightly as Natsu began to snore. Erza was genuinely curious. "Natsu…"

"So what if I do…?" Natsu blearily questioned the redhead. "I dunno anything about love… So I dunno if it's even 'love' that I feel for this girl. I admire her strength, determination, 'n all that good stuff… But she's already taken. Just let it be, Erza…"

Though the last words were near incoherent, Erza distinctly heard Natsu mumble out tiredly what sounded like, "You're happy…" Now… Erza tensed when he said those words. She blushed fiercely at something she likely wasn't meant to hear. It wasn't… wasn't a real 'confession'. Natsu must've been too tired to think straight.

But… Erza couldn't get it out of her head. Those stupid, heart-fluttering words. Kami, why was her heart racing so fast?! At this rate, she'd stumble and fall unconscious before making it into Fairy Hills, and then what would the townspeople think?! Some part of her clearly liked the idea of Natsu as her… boyfriend…

 _'Is... Is that it…?'_ Erza thought to herself, brow furrowed as she finally reached Fairy Hills and got to her room. Well, her bedroom. Naturally she had other rooms for her armors. She blushed slightly as she gazed at her single bed. It was kind of generous for a single, but it wasn't quite a double either. _'Natsu… you and I are going to have a_ long _talk tomorrow…'_

She thought with a furrowed brow as she gently laid the slumbering Natsu on one side of the bed. Erza then Requipped into her pajamas and snuggled up close to Natsu, not really having any choice in the matter. He wasn't going to sleep on the floor after what she did to his house, and it wasn't like she was entirely displeased with the idea of sleeping with him either…

Erza smiled pleasantly at the heat that Natsu's body exuded. Yes, they'd definitely be having a talk in the morning… The Mighty Titania, Guild Master of Fairy Tail could get used to this…

* * *

 **Author's Note: Yeeeah, felt like writing a piece inspired by chapters 506 and 507 of the manga. For us Natza fans, the moments are few and far in-between nowadays, but then we get moments like these… Isn't it nice that Erza of all people can get Natsu to come to his senses, even while he's increasingly losing his mind to his E.N.D. powers?**

 **Of course Lucy friggin' popped up in the panel as soon as Natsu was calmed down, but I'll take any and all Natza moments, even with Gray included in 'em. Natza is life! :D In all seriousness, though, I'm bummed Mashima is probably going the Nalu route… Like, they just don't have a bond like Natsu and Erza… no matter how much Nalu shippers insist otherwise. :P That's right Microsoft Word, I'm not even gonna add 'Nalu' to your dictionary, 'cause it ain't in mine. XD**

 **Interested in seeing what the Erza-Eileen relationship will be. Up 'til now, most have speculated she was Erza's mother, but in 507's conclusion, we see her proclaim that she and Erza are one in the same… Like I said, curious to see where it goes. Is Erza a clone? Or is Eileen some crazy future counterpart that's been around a while? Hope we find out soon. ^^**

 **Hope you enjoyed! Yes, there might be a Part Two for this prompt. :P**


	8. Chapter 8

**Prompt Eight: After the Valentine's Day fiasco, Cana wasn't around to hear that it was all Mira's fault, so she attributes her behavior towards Natsu as repressed feelings that have surfaced as a result of being drunk. Eh, it's not like Natsu's the worst guy she could fall in love with, so Cana figures she'll drag him on a date and see where it goes. Only problem is… Cana's not the only one questioning her feelings toward that damn loveable Pyro.**

 **Corresponds to: Chapter 5**

 **Characters: Cana, Natsu, various FT members, Erza, Meredy**

 **Point-in-Time: Any year after X784, few days after Valentine's Day**

 **Genre: Humor, Parody, Romance**

* * *

Barring a few mortified and humiliated girls, the Fairy Tail Guild returned to normal after that unforgettable (in a bad way) Valentine's Day. Mira would be receiving stink-eyes from the girls she tried to pair up with Natsu for the foreseeable future – or at least from Lucy, Lisanna, Juvia, and Ultear, Kagura, and Milliana whenever they came to visit or saw the Satan Soul user in the future. Wendy was just mortified beyond all comprehension and hadn't been seen since that 'fateful' day; too busy burying her head in her pillows on her bed at Fairy Hills. Of course the barmaid attempted to make amends, offering free meals and such… But this kind of thing wasn't going to be 'forgiven and forgotten' easily.

Natsu, on the other hand, was used to Mira's wily ways on that godforsaken holiday, and had more or less 'forgiven' Mira. … Though he made it abundantly clear he would never be stepping foot in the Guild on **that day** ever. again. Erza was also feeling pretty charitable, seeing as how the Takeover mage had gotten a dose of her own medicine and the scarlet knight had gotten her pound of flesh for the barmaid's traumatizing shenanigans.

Cana was strangely inconspicuous for days after the incident – a shame, too. She missed out on grilling Mira alongside the other girls when she openly confessed to the whole debacle. Because of that, the heaviest drinker of Fairy Tail was under the unfortunate misconception that she had repressed feelings for the Pyro. It didn't help that the reason she was absent from the Guild for several days was because she got **epically** sloshed. Under normal circumstances, you have to understand that it takes **a lot** of booze for Cana Alberona to get drunk; so just imagine what it takes for her to get **epically** sloshed.

Yeah. Not a pretty picture, is it? But it happened. And Cana was now under the misconception that she was drunk when she was chasing after Natsu, so the moment she got over her **epic** hangover, she got to thinking about the prospect of dating the Dragon Slayer. Frankly, Cana never would have imagined pursuing the pink-head in a million years; Natsu was a nice guy to be sure, but he didn't know how to relax or slow down… Whenever he was lounging around in the Guild, he was always whining and complaining about the lack of action. Granted, this would make him a real 'slayer' in bed, in all likelihood, but even Cana liked to get to know guys before getting physical, and Natsu just didn't seem like the dating type.

… But ya can't deny what the heart wants. If she had repressed feelings for the knucklehead, she was gonna make the best out of it and get at least one date out of the whole thing. Not even Natsu could resist her feminine wiles! He'd be putty in her hands in a handful of minutes.

Just as soon as she dumbed it down enough for him. Or stopped sounding like she was three sheets to the wind. 'Caaause… she mighta had a little bit to drink while 'thinking' about dating Natsu. Yeah.

* * *

"Hey, Natshu… Wanna… Wanna go get a drink?"

It was about mid-morning, and the Fire Dragon Slayer was lounging around in the Guild Hall with Gray and Happy, since Lucy had been avoiding their group lately, and Erza… Well, she just wasn't there yet.

"Nah. Ain't it a bit too early for that?" Natsu scratched his ear idly and looked up at the brunette. Gray scoffed.

"You forget who you're talkin' to, Flamebrain."

"That's… That's fine." Cana carried on as if she hadn't heard the Ice Make mage. "How about… How about we go out for breakfast, then?"

Natsu salivated at the thought of food. He then shook his head rapidly as he seemed to remember something important, however.

"S-Sorry… Me, Happy, Erza, 'n the Stripper here are supposed to go on a mission in a bit. She'd kill me if I was late…"

Gray held his sides as he laughed his ass off.

"Whipped!"

"Shaddup! You're just as scared of her!" Natsu shouted with a raised fist and a tick mark on his forehead. Before Gray could yell back at the Dragon Slayer, however, the busty brunette latched onto Natsu by the back of his scarf and eccentrically dragged him out of the Guild at a high rate of speed.

"I'll have ya back before ya know it! Let's gooo!"

Gray blinked dumbly at the dust cloud left in the drunkard's wake, and shared a look with Happy, who was similarly perplexed at the brunette's attitude. Lisanna, who was grudgingly helping her sister serve drinks, shot a suspicious glare at the barmaid, who held her hands up innocently. She didn't know what had gotten into Cana, but _she_ didn't have anything to do with it! … Y'know, this time.

A short time after Cana had taken off with Natsu, Erza arrived and made her way over to Gray and Happy. Obviously she was perplexed with half their team absent.

"Where are Natsu and Lucy…?" The scarlet knight asked with a furrowed brow. Gray shrugged his bare shoulders, having taken off his shirt without knowing it.

"Lucy went off with Levy again. Flamebrain… well…" He sweatdropped at the knight's penetrating glare. Damn Flamebrain… he was not _whipped_ … Erza was just plain terrifying!

"Where did he go, Gray…?" Erza queried with narrowed eyes. It was Happy that answered, though.

"Natsu didn't wanna leave, but Cana rushed off with him somewhere! I think she mentioned something about breakfast!" The blue cat then pouted. "… They better not be having fish without me."

Erza felt her eye twitch ever so slightly at this explanation. That suspiciously sounded like a date, and the redhead hadn't forgotten what transpired not too long ago. Mira wilted under the look Erza was shooting her way.

"Oh, c'mon! I had nothing to do with it this time! Do you _really_ think that I would traumatize Natsu again so soon?!"

Erza didn't even dignify that with a response. She instead went back to interrogating Gray.

"Did she say where they were going?"

"Uh… no." Gray feebly replied. It figured that Erza would make an issue about Natsu being taken… Gray had no idea about what happened in the Guild on Valentine's Day, but he _did_ know that it somehow involved Natsu, a bunch of girls, and a mischievous Mira. Perfect recipe for chaos.

While Gray and just about everyone else currently in the Guild was waiting with bated breath for what the scarlet knight would do next, the gears were turning in Erza's head, and she did not like the naughty turn her thoughts had taken. Generally speaking, they were scenarios in which Cana got the Dragon Slayer drunk and did some rather… kinky… things…

Yep. Her cheeks were heating up, and there was a dribble of blood leaking from her nose now. Mostly because now for some strange reason her mind was supplanting Cana with herself in those dirty fantasies. Steam blew out of her ears, and Erza finally managed to snap out of her daydreams when her eyes randomly fell on Gajeel, who was sitting off in a corner.

"Muuuooo… You are going to help me find Natsu!" The scarlet knight declared with finality before stomping over to him and dragging him along by the ear. Of course the Iron Dragon Slayer protested at being forced to do anything, much less sniff out Salamander of all people, but he couldn't exactly say 'no' in this situation. That was not an acceptable answer when Natsu's virginity might've been at stake. She was just being the concerned friend; it had little to do with those lustful visions she experienced just now… though the redhead might look forward to that aspect just a bit. … Where had that come from? Natsu was just a friend. Not a boyfriend or lover… a friend. Perhaps her best friend, debatable between him and Mira but still a contender, who she admired and felt very protective about.

Erza Scarlet… a tsundere in the making.

You wanna tell Erza she's overreacting? You go right ahead. You might lose a limb or something, but… y'know. Free speech and all that.

* * *

Despite all insistences to the contrary… Cana did wind up dragging Natsu to a bar. Mostly because Cana got it into her head that if she dragged out 'breakfast' long enough, Natsu would be more open to sharing a drink with her… And then… they could let the sexy-sexy times begin…

Hey. You can't blame her for being curious about a blockhead that always has to be doing something.

Well, the date went about as expected. Natsu shoveling food into his mouth, Cana trying to make small talk… The pink-haired stalker in a hooded red cloak sitting at a table a few feet from the bar counter… Wait a minute.

That's right, Meredy of Crime Sorciere, formerly of Grimoire Heart, was stalking Natsu Dragneel. Unlike Cana, who wrote off the Valentine's Day incident as repressed feelings rising to the surface, the pinkette had genuinely developed a small crush on the Dragon Slayer after that little fiasco. Whereas Ultear was livid with Mira, Meredy was a bit more… forgiving, shall we say. After all, if Jellal's thing with Erza did pan out in spite of the angsty past between the two of them, then Meredy would need to explore other options. And though they were potion-induced fantasies when it came to her and Natsu… Meredy had to admit she didn't _loathe_ such fantasies, now that she was of sound mind. He was kinda cute, and his 'simple' mind was pretty adorable. Maybe she could get him to tone down on the fighting impulse, but beyond that, his tenacity to never give up, his love for food, his passion for fishing… Even his home was respectable, considering he built it with his own two hands! Plus, if she joined Fairy Tail, she could see Juvia more often.

Yeah, Ultear wasn't too happy with her adopted daughter's recent infatuation, nor her plans to possibly leave Crime Sorciere for Fairy Tail. Don't get her wrong, Fairy Tail was a respectable Guild, but the pinkette was falling in love with _Natsu Dragneel_. A boy who accused Ultear of being a cross-dresser and rather insisted on that accusation… Not to mention he was rowdy and a slob. Natsu was a nice boy, but not quite dating material for her adoptive daughter, in Ultear's eyes. … Not that she had much of a say; out of everyone in Crime Sorciere, Meredy had the best chance of joining an official Guild without the Magic Council cracking down on her. Ultear, Jellal, and the former Oracion Seis lived in infamy to varying degrees, but Meredy was largely unknown in comparison.

In truth, the major reason that Ultear didn't want Meredy to leave had to do with, well… Let's just say Jellal crossed the line, and they were working out a way to reverse his fucked up mistake, because this was simply **unacceptable** …

* * *

"Look. I don't trust you – you are not exactly in Erza's good graces, and you nearly brought about a calamity with that Pretty Man Potion some time ago." Jellal told the stout man in no uncertain terms. Kami he hated being desperate. "But. Erza is losing interest. She is starting to gravitate toward that teammate of hers. And even Meldy is falling for that Dragon Slayer. I need something, _anything_ to give me the edge again!"

Ichiya hummed deeply in thought and struck an eccentric pose.

"Have you tried not bringing up your shared past every time you meet the lovely Erza? Maaan."

Jellal groaned and drooped his arms exasperatedly.

"But that's, like, my thing! I must atone for my sins while she treads the path of light! Our tragic past can be the setup for a great romance!"

"Personally, I think you're coming off as rather obsessed about the whole thing…" Pose. "But, if you are really serious about winning over my honey…" Another pose. Presentation of bottle with a questionable liquid within. "Then you need only ingest this, and she shall be your sweet honey bunny!"

Jellal gave the stout man a deadpan, disbelieving expression. Oh, he definitely did not want to 'ingest' that crap now.

"And what exactly is this concoction? Will it horribly disfigure my face like your last potion would have?"

"Fear not! This potion is completely different; it shall not alter your appearance, but merely intensify your **manly** aura and make you irresistible with the ladies! Maaan!"

Jellal suspiciously plucked the bottle out of Ichiya's hand and eyeballed it.

"So it's a deodorizing Lacrima, then."

"It is _like_ a deodorizing Lacrima, if that will ease your troubled mind."

"…" Jellal did not like this. Not one bit. He wasn't getting a clear answer from the idiot in front of him, and it was driving him nuts. Jellal's conscience was telling him to just walk away. Faaar away. But… If it had the slightest chance of wooing Erza…

Jellal gave a tiny, tentative spray of the bottle aimed at his chest, and immediately regretted it. Whatever was in the bottle was potent stuff. Instead of just altering his face, Jellal immediately noticed that Ichiya was now as tall as him. Or rather… that he had shrunk down to Ichiya's level. And that they had roughly the same chubby body type now. Did we forget to mention the same chiseled face? Yeah. The only things unaltered were Jellal's hair and clothes, which were now too big for him.

"IIICHIIIYAAA! MAN!" Jellal howled in outrage before punting the 'pretty man' with enough force to put Erza's kicks to shame. That was a fucking Pretty Man Potion Mark Two! _Much_ worse than before! No wonder it didn't fucking affect that bastard; he was already like that!

Jellal sobbed pitifully as he sank to his now-stubby knees. Now Erza would never love him! **Maaan**!

* * *

… Yeah. Whatever Ichiya did to that potion, it wasn't contagious, but it sure as hell wasn't as easy to reverse anymore. Natsu could previously fix anyone with one spray of a deodorizing Lacrima, but Ultear had _bathed_ Jellal in deodorizing spray and he hadn't changed back in the slightest. This concoction was definitely more potent in that regard. At least it hadn't affected Jellal's Magic; just his damn appearance.

Worst case scenario: the broody mage would be stuck like this permanently. He would still have a fearsome reputation as one of the strongest Wizards in Fiore, but… he'd be a laughingstock as well. Ichiya's unknown twin brother. Lahar, Doranbolt, and the Magic Council would have a field day if they ever found out; they wouldn't be able to stop laughing, and might even decide that this was punishment enough for Jellal's past crimes… Well, not really, but a more lenient sentence would be given, certainly.

But enough on the Ichiya-fied Jellal and his plight. Cana had challenged Natsu to a drinking game with some questionable stakes ("If I win, I sleep with _you_ , but if you win, you sleep with _me_."); now, the only reason Natsu agreed to that, really, is because he'd slept with Lucy in her bed before. He didn't know the brunette was alluding to sex or that the stakes weren't much of a bet 'cause it'd be the same result either way (too fixed on stuffing his face); it's not that Natsu was ignorant to sex-related things, it's just he wasn't too good with figures of speech. That, and the scarily powerful girls that he grew up with proved to be pretty good deterrents from pervy tendencies of chasing skirts like Gildarts evidently did.

Well, it was frankly anticlimactic. Natsu sweatdropped as Cana passed out from a nosebleed without even having a drop of booze (at least in his presence). To top it off, she was pervertedly giggling as she did so. Natsu had no idea the lewd thoughts running through the brunette's mind for her to pass out like that, but she was happy, so…

"Guess the victory goes to me…? Eh, I don't care." Natsu shrugged and got up and stretched. He didn't know how long it had been, but he strongly suspected it'd been long enough for Erza to boot him across Magnolia for delaying their departure. Maybe it wouldn't totally make up for it, but he'd get her some strawberry cake before they left or after they got back; that always cheered her up.

Now there was just the question of what to do with Cana. He'd hate to leave her lying here, but it'd be pretty awkward to carry her around; people might stare, and others at the Guild might get the wrong idea… He especially didn't need Gray blowing the whole thing out of proportion; Ice Prick liked taking advantage of such potentially embarrassing situations. Y'know, rivals and all that.

Before Natsu could reach a decision, however, Meredy nervously shuffled toward him and got his attention.

"Um… Hi, Natsu! How's it going?" Meredy spoke up bashfully, barely able to meet his eyes as he turned to her.

"Oh, hey… I saw you not too long ago. You're one o' those girls from Jellal's Guild, uh… Moldy?"

"Uh… No. It's Meredy, th-though you can call me Meldy, if it's any easier for you!" Meredy sweatdropped and held her hands up peaceably, but she needn't have worried. Natsu grinned widely, making the pinkette's heart skipping a beat.

"Oh, my bad! I suck at getting people's names right the first time. Anyways, yeah, I'm good; better than a few years ago. Not that it was _your_ fault!" Natsu hastily added at seeing his fellow pink-head droop a little. He then went with his gut and changed the topic. "So what's up? Need me or Fairy Tail to do somethin' for ya?"

Meredy smiled thankfully at his thoughtfulness. It's not like he'd done anything wrong, either; that day was a strange one for both of them. When the pinkette realized she'd been staring at Natsu's face for what must've been a couple of minutes at least, her cheeks matched the color of her hair and she shook her head rapidly.

"N-No, no, no! I just, um… wanted to… to hang out with you! Yes! I don't know you very well and want to change that." Well… while that was true, she did know him _a little_ , having stalked him for the past few days. How she avoided Erza's hawk-like gaze is still a mystery.

Natsu sobered up at this explanation. It wasn't that he didn't wanna befriend the girl, but…

"Well, I'm goin' on a Quest with Erza, Happy, 'n ol' Ice Prick if they haven't left already. You sure you wanna tag along? I think Erza wanted to do an S-Class, since Lucy has been avoidin' us."

"I _was_ one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory." Meredy deadpanned before brightening up again. "But yeah, sounds awesome! Maybe I can join Fairy Tail after we get back?"

Natsu shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't mind, but you gotta talk to the Master about that." He paused and looked back at the still conked out Cana. "Um. Do you mind helpin' me get her back? I'd feel bad about just leavin' her here."

"Sure!" Meredy chirped and slid Cana's other arm over her shoulders after Natsu did so with the first one. Thankfully, Cana had paid for the meal and drinks up front, so they were able to leave the bar without any hassle.

Yet no sooner did they leave the bar than did Gajeel gleefully kick Natsu back into it with a satisfied smirk on his face. Meredy and Cana didn't go along with him, thanks to the precise nature of the attack.

"So there you are, ya punk! Did you have to make it so difficult by being smothered by Alberona?!" Gajeel immediately paled when he felt the imposing aura of not one, but _two_ women as they cracked their knuckles and advanced on him. Erza from behind him, Meredy from the front, after setting Cana down.

Yes, even Meldy can have an intimidating presence if you push the right buttons. Bad-mouthing and/or attacking Ultear, Juvia, or more recently Natsu will have that desired effect; the stoic, overly logical, underlying angry Meredy of Grimoire Heart hadn't completely disappeared, she just needed the right conditions to be 'summoned'. And Gajeel was fool enough to bring it out of her.

"WHERE'S GAJEEL?! I'MA SMACK HIM!" Natsu roared as he came charging out of the bar again with pupil-less eyes and bared teeth. However, he did a double-take when he saw Erza and Meredy tag-teaming his fellow Dragon Slayer and actually _winced_ when some of the strikes generated seismic shakes and strangled cries from the raven-haired man. Even the classic, randomly-appearing rubber chicken went flying by – it was that fierce of a thrashing.

When the one-sided slaughter was over with, Meredy dusted off her hands, and Erza gazed at the pinkette with a mixture of gratitude, respect, and curiosity. … Gajeel was lying on the ground moaning, of course.

"What are you doing here, Meredy? Are Ultear and Jellal still in town as well?"

Meredy shook her head and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"No, I slipped away for a bit so Jellal could, um… recover… and hopefully get healed." The pinkette muttered under her breath, but Erza heard her loud and clear.

"Healed?! Did something happen?"

Meredy sweatdropped at the redhead's concern.

"Um. You're really better off not knowing. No, really, don't ask." She deadpanned, and then shuddered at the sheer memory of it. "He'll get better… or at least I hope so. Ultear's frantic, Erik and the others are, well, enjoying themselves a little too much at his expense… so I just decided to come visit you guys for a while and get to know Natsu better."

Erza narrowed her eyes at the last bit. It was strange enough that Cana was still showing romantic inclinations toward Natsu, but Meredy was, too? Did Mira's potion work _a little too well_ …?

"You do realize Mira made you feel that way, right? You might not even like…"

"Oh, don't worry about that! I wanna be Natsu's friend first before anything else!" Meredy hurriedly cut her off with a blush. Inwardly, she optimistically added, _'We'll work on being lovers after getting to know one another a bit.'_

"Yeah! Meredy wants to tag along on our Quest today!" Natsu added. A tad feebly at Erza's inquisitive glance, he further added, "I-If that's okay."

Erza's frown remained as she scrutinized the pinkette. She could see the ulterior motivations were there, but for the time being Erza would allow her to befriend Natsu and others at Fairy Tail… No harm in friendship.

There might be a problem if Meredy tried going beyond that with Natsu. Though Erza wasn't quite sure why; it was just an unexplainable fact.

"Alright. Let's get back to Gray and Happy; we're delayed enough already. Our client might be cancel on us if we take too long."

Natsu and Meredy scooped up Cana again, while Erza dragged Gajeel along by the foot, uncaring if she was rubbing his bruised face along the cobblestone paths of Magnolia.

"By the way, what kind of Quest is it?" Meredy asked curiously as they walked along.

Erza's brow furrowed at the query.

"I'm not sure, but Master Bob of Blue Pegasus requested our help with a sensitive matter. Obviously as one of their staunchest allies, we couldn't turn him down."

Meredy visibly tensed and shivered at this revelation. Crap. Jellal and Ultear were currently at the Blue Pegasus Guild and trying to return Jellal to normal; Meredy had little doubt that the quest was in regards to the azure-haired mage. Erza was going to flip out in the worst possible way when she caught sight of her childhood crush.

Welp. Sucks to be Jellal…

* * *

 **Author's Note: Ahahaha, I couldn't help but expand that little plot bunny. Jellal going full-on Ichiya, I mean. I'll repeat that I don't hate Jellal; it's just the sheer idea of him being Ichiya-fied… Pfft. XD Ichiya is entertainment gold, I'm tellin' ya; I really should write him more often and in more detail. Maaan.**

 **Hope you enjoyed! I just needed to write something silly before everyone starts getting angry about Trump's election. No political commentary here – just stating how the internet will be going rabid later today… I will have no part of it. :P**


End file.
